Expanded Ombuds Office Helps Build a Stronger Campus Community
Most people don’t think about calling an Ombuds until a workplace problem feels too large to ignore. Alexis Rodgers hopes to change that.
As the newly appointed Stony Brook Medicine Ombuds, Rodgers wants faculty, staff and students to see the office as a confidential place to ask questions, talk through difficult situations and resolve concerns before they become formal complaints.
Her arrival also marks the expansion of Stony Brook University’s Ombuds Office, which now includes two dedicated Ombuds serving different parts of the university community. Rodgers supports employees and students throughout Stony Brook Medicine, while Donna Buehler continues her role serving faculty, staff and students on the university’s main campus, Southampton campus, Research and Development Park and other off-site locations.
Buehler has advocated for expanding the office for years, and noted that the change creates opportunities to help people before workplace concerns grow into something more difficult. “The earlier you come to the Ombuds, the more options we have to solve problems,” Buehler said. “The earlier, the better.”
The expansion also reflects Stony Brook’s continued commitment to supporting its people while creating more opportunities for outreach, education and early intervention.
“Healthy organizations don’t avoid conflict; they create trusted pathways to resolve it,” said Judith Brown Clarke, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief health equity officer. “The expansion of our Ombuds Office, with Donna and Alexis, reflects Stony Brook’s continued investment in our people. Together, they bring the experience, compassion and expertise to help individuals feel heard, strengthen relationships and cultivate a culture of trust, respect and belonging.”
Rodgers believes healthcare settings have their own unique challenges. Long hours, clinical stress and high-stakes decisions all unfold in environments where physicians, nurses, staff, students and leaders work closely together. “Healthcare workers face a lot of pressure,” Rodgers said. “There’s clinical stress, long hours and really high-stakes decisions.”
That’s one reason she believes Stony Brook Medicine benefits from having its own dedicated Ombuds. “This newly expanded office isn’t a response to a problem,” Rodgers said. “This is Stony Brook’s investment in its people and its community. This population benefits from someone who’s neutral and understands those special needs of around-the-clock care.”
Unlike Human Resources or other formal offices, the Ombuds Office offers a confidential, informal place where members of the university community can discuss workplace concerns, explore options and talk through difficult situations without initiating an official complaint. “I like to think of it as a sounding board,” Rodgers said. “Somebody you can talk to about workplace concerns without it becoming official.”
Some visitors come with questions about university policies, while others are navigating difficult relationships with supervisors or colleagues. Sometimes they simply need help thinking through a situation before deciding what to do next. “Sometimes it’s just needing a different perspective,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers brings more than 17 years of experience as a social worker, most recently serving as lead Employee Assistance Program (EAP) coordinator at Stony Brook University. While the EAP focuses primarily on personal wellbeing and mental health resources, she said the Ombuds role centers on helping people navigate workplace challenges.
“EAP helped me understand people under stress,” Rodgers said. “Now the Ombuds role lets me help them navigate the systems around that stress.”
Buehler said adding a second Ombuds also allows the office to shift from primarily responding to concerns toward building stronger relationships across campus. “To best serve the organization and to be strategic and proactive in helping resolve conflict and difficult conversations, it’s important to have the time and the people to do that,” Buehler said. “Having one person covering an enormous amount of real estate just isn’t doable.”
With additional capacity, she hopes the office will spend more time meeting with departments, collaborating with campus partners and offering workshops focused on communication, leadership and conflict resolution. “It provides the time and place to develop relationships, compare trends, identify systemic issues and work more collaboratively,” she said.
Although each Ombuds has a primary area of responsibility, Rodgers and Buehler will work together on workshops, outreach events and educational programming serving both Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine.
“My hope is that people know we exist, that they know it’s a safe place and that it’s for them,” Rodgers said. “I want it to be a known and trusted place where people feel comfortable reaching out early, rather than waiting until things escalate.”
Rodgers said recurring themes can also help identify opportunities for improvement across the organization. Without revealing anyone’s identity, the Ombuds Office can share broader trends with university leadership when similar concerns continue to surface. “If we’re seeing the same policy confusion or the same concerns surface over and over, that’s valuable insight,” Rodgers said. “Ultimately, our hope is to create a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up about what’s happening in their workplace.”
Buehler hopes the expanded office also helps people think differently about conflict itself. “Conflict is normal,” she said. “Many times it’s actually a good thing. But when it becomes harmful and destructive, that’s something we don’t need.”
“My hope is that visible, confidential support signals that Stony Brook Medicine values its employees’ wellbeing, not just patient care,” Rodgers said. “When people feel heard and supported, it helps create a healthier, more resilient community for our staff, our students and ultimately our patients.”
— Beth Squire