This month, a respected and experienced UCSB staffer took the reins as the new campus ombuds. Priscilla Mori, formerly an acting assistant ombuds and long-time advocate of “restorative justice,” has moved into the lead position of a team that works as an honest broker to manage, resolve, and when possible prevent conflict among UCSB faculty, staff, and students, according to Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Lucas.

“The ombuds maintains neutrality and confidentiality while operating independently within UCSB,“ Lucas explained in his April 30 memo to the campus announcing Mori’s appointment. She succeeds Andrea Briggs, an ombuds from UC Riverside, who was UCSB’s acting ombuds for the past few months while the search committee, co-chaired by historian Ann Plane and Pat Sheppard, director of academic personnel, completed its job.

In addition to Mori, others in the UCSB Office of the Ombuds include Bill Forgie, the faculty ombuds and a professor emeritus of philosophy, and Lainie Pascall, office manager and intake coordinator. After more than 26 years in the UC system, Briggs has announced she plans to retire.

“As campus ombuds, I am committed to providing a place for individuals to express concerns, informally resolve disputes, and learn more productive ways of communicating in a context of confidentiality and safety,” said Mori. “As Bill Forgie has said, we in the Ombuds Office are ‘voracious listeners.’ I invite you to use our services or recommend them to your colleagues and students.”

Mori has already devoted many years to UCSB, earning her B.A. in combination social science along the way. She began her career in the offices of the registrar and in admissions, then switched to academics, serving in the departments of economics and geologic sciences (now earth science).

Most recently, she had returned to administration as director of business services for the College of Letters and Science before joining the Ombuds Office.