The Office of the Ombuds has expanded!

The Office of the Ombuds welcomes two new staff members: Norma Morán, Associate Ombuds, and SooHyun Tak, Ombuds Facilitator. Both will report to Elizabeth Stone, University Ombuds and Director, Ombuds Programs. 

 

Ms. Morán, as the Associate Ombuds, will be responsible for undergraduate and graduate student visits, conflict resolution and competence training, and data visualization, management, and reporting. We are excited to have her on board to help us meet growing demand for these services, and especially for supporting our student community. 

 

 

Ms. Tak, as the part-time Ombuds Facilitator, will be responsible for facilitating circles which includes pre-, during and post-sessions. Depending on the visitor’s preference, Ms. Tak will co-facilitate with the Ombuds, by herself, or with another person. 

 

 

Prior to joining the Office of the Ombuds, Norma Morán spent the last five years raising her children while remaining heavily involved in the Deaf community on the local, state, and national level. Currently, she is an appointed member of the Maryland Advisory Council of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a board member of the Maryland/Washington DC Chapter of Hands and Voices, a national advocacy organization for parents with deaf and hard of hearing children. She recently served on her undergraduate alma mater’s advisory board as well. During this time, Norma obtained certificates in diversity, equity, and inclusion from Northwestern University and Cornell University. She has given numerous presentations to a wide variety of organizations and institutions; her presentations ranged from cultural experiences to DEI issues to educational and social advocacy for families with deaf and hard of hearing children. She obtained a bachelor’s degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from American University. 

From 2009 to 2016, Norma was at Gallaudet University in the Office of Academic Quality (now known as the Office of Student Success and Academic Quality) as a Data Analyst, then as Coordinator of Assessment, Planning, and Accreditation where she worked with multiple campus stakeholders and provided training and workshops. She also taught several 200-level GSR courses, provided training for cross-cultural and international internships, and served as a co-advisor to the Latino Student Union. Norma is thrilled to be back on Kendall Green! 

 

Originally from South Korea, SooHyun Tak immigrated to the United States at age 4 with her family for better life and deaf education opportunities. Upon graduating from Gallaudet University with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she worked for 20+ years in the fields of advocacy and counseling services for deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind individuals. She has worked in a variety of settings, ranging from a youth residential treatment center to community mental health and advocacy agencies. SooHyun returned to Gallaudet University in 2013, bringing her rich fieldwork experience to the Department of Counseling where she works as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling faculty member, preparing students to be license-eligible multiculturally competent counselors.

In addition to teaching, SooHyun is an independent consultant, facilitator, and trainer on both the local and national levels. She centers her work around topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the workplace. 

The Office of the Ombuds is interested in receiving recommendations for skilled facilitators for future restorative dialogues and conversations to repair, rebuild, or maintain relationships. Please contact Contact here with any recommendations or suggestions. We would love to hear from you! 

We are deeply grateful to Gallaudet University for supporting this office with new, additional resources in order for us to meet our mission in serving our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and families with confidential conflict management resources. Every visit matters, and the Ombuds Office is committed to providing every visitor the opportunity for a fair and equitable process. Please welcome Norma and SooHyun on board!