About Us
Mission Statement
To facilitate collaborative processes and the creative resolution of conflict for the entire NIH community.
Standards of Practice
The NIH ombuds are committed to integrity and the highest professional standards. We operate under the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice enunciated by the International Ombuds Association (IOA); we are neutral, independent, confidential, and informal.
For more information about the IOA, please visit https://www.ombudsassociation.org
About the Ombuds Office
Click here to download a copy of our brochure.
Meet the Staff
The NIH Office of the Ombuds provides assistance to members of the NIH community in addressing lab- and work-related issues.
Victor Voloshin, J.D., M.B.A.
Director, Center for Cooperative Resolution
NIH Ombuds
Victor Voloshin is a nationally recognized expert in workplace conflict management and the preeminent Executive branch authority on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the Federal EEO process.
Immediately before coming to NIH, Victor served for almost 12 years as Chief Mediation Officer at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), helping federal agencies design and improve their internal workplace programs using ADR. He also directed EEOC’s internal ADR program that addresses workplace problems through mediation, informal dispute resolution, group facilitations, and conflict-resolution training. Prior to EEOC, Victor served as the ADR Director for the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent mayoral agency responsible for handling complaints against the New York City Police Department.
For many years Victor was an adjunct professor at NYU’s Conflict and Dispute Resolution Program and at New York Institute of Technology. Prior to government service, Victor was an attorney, consultant, mediator, negotiator, and arbitrator in the private sector. He has worked with non-profit organizations, quasi-governmental entities, and large multi-national corporations.
Victor is a licensed attorney, who earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from the College of William and Mary.
Fernando Caetano, LL.M.
Associate Ombuds
Fernando Caetano is an Associate Ombuds at NIH. Prior to joining the ombuds team at NIH, Fernando served for four years as the Ombuds for the United States Geological Survey, Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as other agencies under the Department of the Interior.
Fernando started his professional journey in Brazil, first as a teacher, then as an attorney. He’s been a conflict resolution practitioner in the United States for the past twenty years, having served as mediator, arbitrator, and ombuds. He also designed and taught a graduate level class - Negotiation and Dispute Resolution - at the University of Michigan for seven years.
Fernando holds a law degree from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Campinas and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Wayne State University Law School. He’s a member of the International Ombuds Association.
Elisa Enriquez, M.S.W., CO-OP
Associate Ombuds
Elisa Enriquez is an Associate Ombuds at NIH. Before joining NIH, she was Senior Associate Ombuds at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for over 12 years where she worked with people across disciplines, including scientists, engineers, medical staff, business professionals, craft employees, student interns, and post docs. Elisa empowers people to build dialogue around difficult topics and believes that the first step to help others is to listen with openness, empathy, and objectivity. Once heard, individuals are better able to explore options and navigate issues through coaching, facilitation, and other conflict resolution approaches.
Elisa is an active member of the International Ombuds Association (IOA), an IOA mentor, and frequent presenter for IOA conferences and Webinars. She earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Central Florida and an MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Toni Hawkins, M.P.H, M.A.
Associate Ombuds
Toni Hawkins is an Associate Ombuds at NIH. Prior to her role at NIH, Toni amassed over 12 years of experience in ADR consulting as a mediator, arbitrator, and conflict management practitioner where she carefully guided parties through conflicts and communication challenges, provided conflict coaching, facilitated interpersonal and group dialogues, and created learning experiences for private sector entities, government organizations, nonprofits and institutions of higher education. Toni’s conflict management practice centers around her belief in the immense value of creating spaces of safety and trust.
Toni earned a B.S. in Psychology from THEEILOVE Jackson State University, an M.P.H. from Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and an M.A. in Conflict Management from Lipscomb University. She is a member of the International Ombuds Association, Association for Conflict Resolution, and American Bar Association-Dispute Resolution Section.
Amira Langham, M.B.A.
Operations Coordinator
Amira Langham is the Operations Coordinator for the Office of the Ombuds at NIH. She comes with a background in administrative and operational support. Amira worked previously at the NIH from 2009 to 2017 in multiple institutes, and administrative roles. Most recently and before rejoining NIH, she worked as a Program Officer in the private sector. Amira earned a B.S. in Business Administration from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and M.B.A. from University of Maryland Global Campus.
Tyler Smith, M.A.
Associate Ombuds
Tyler Smith is an Associate Ombuds at NIH. He returns to the Ombuds team at NIH after serving as the University Ombuds at Northeastern Illinois University for nearly two and half years and part-time as the conference Ombuds for the Midwest Political Science Association during 2021. Tyler worked previously as an Associate Ombuds at the NIH from 2014 to 2019.
Before starting his career as an ombuds, Tyler spent several years working as a mediator, facilitator, and conflict resolution trainer at The Bosserman Center for Conflict Resolution in Salisbury, Maryland. He is an active member of the International Ombudsman Association and holds an M.A. in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution from Salisbury University.
Staff Publications and Presentations
Bingham, S., Smith. T., Burton S., and Elkerson, D. (2018), The Research Agenda for the Organizational Ombuds Profession: A Living Document. Journal of the International Ombuds Association.
Kathleen Moore, J. (2016), The Art of Ombudsing: Using Multiple Frames to Resolve Conflict. Journal of the International Ombuds Association, 9 (1), 8-22.
Gadlin, H. (2014), Toward the Activist Ombudsman: An Introduction. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 31: 387–402.
C Levine, JM Hoffman, J Byron, R Arnold, A Kondrat, D Mukherjee. 2015. "Surrogate decision making and truth telling in a rehabilitation case." Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 7(7): 762-69.
Kathleen Moore, J. (2014), The Reflective Observer Model. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 31: 403–419.
Brothers, L. M. (2014), Identity and Culture in Ombudsman Practice. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 31: 421–434.
Levine-Finley, S. (2014), Stretching the Coaching Model. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 31: 435–446.
Myers, L. and Witzler, L. (2014), Two Perspectives on Learning the Organizational Ombudsman Role. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 31: 447–462.
Michael, D. E. (2014), Prioritizing Practice in Ombudsman and ADR Programs. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 31: 463–476.
Smith, T. (2014), Ombuds & Mediation: Frequency, Circumstances and Differences Amongst Backgrounds. Journal of the International Ombuds Association, 7 (3), 48-67.