Ombuds Spotlight – Mark Patterson
For September’s “Ombuds Spotlight,” we are proud to feature Mark Patterson, the founding University Ombuds for California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) in Camarillo, California. Mark supported staff, faculty, and students while also serving on the CSUCI President’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence, where he applied his conflict resolution expertise to enhance equity-building efforts. Prior to CSUCI, he was the University Ombuds for the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he served staff and faculty.
Before transitioning to the Ombuds role, Mark had a distinguished 24-year career as a judge advocate (military lawyer), mediator, and educator in the U.S. Air Force, with assignments across Asia, Europe, and the United States. He retired as a colonel. Mark holds a B.A. in journalism from Marietta College in Ohio, a J.D. from Duke University, and an LL.M. in International Dispute Resolution from Fordham University. A father of five, Mark leads an active life enjoying hiking, cycling, yoga, rowing, singing, and playing guitar. He also enjoys oral storytelling and improv comedy.
What Mark values most about being an Ombuds is empowering people to develop their own options to address conflict while respecting their autonomy. His “superpowers” in this role are his curiosity and intuition, which help him guide others to explore new perspectives and understand the deeper sources of their conflicts.
For more information, please visit www.mccammongroup.com/ombuds-services.