2026 Keynote Speakers

Paul Sotoudeh is the University Ombuds at the University of Rochester. Prior to arriving at Rochester in September 2025, he spent nearly 20 years ombudsing in the US federal government, serving in internally-facing and externally-facing ombuds roles at three different agencies. He also served as Chair of the Coalition of Federal Ombuds for nearly nine years. Paul co-authored, with Emma Phan, the “Governmental Ombuds” chapter in IOA’s 2025 book The Organizational Ombuds: Foundations, Fundamentals & The Future. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Rochester and a JD from Washington & Lee University School of Law.

M. Gerard (Jerry) Fromm spent his clinical career at the Austen Riggs Center, where, among other roles, he directed the Erikson Institute for applied psychoanalysis. Jerry is past President and Distinguished Member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations and past President of the International Dialogue Initiative, which works to bring a psychological understanding to societal conflict. Jerry is a Fellow of the American Board and Academy of Psychoanalysis and maintains a private practice of organizational and clinical consulting. A recent book is Traveling through Time: How Trauma Plays Itself out in Families, Organizations and Society.