About Us
An ombuds is a person trained to assist members of a community or organization. We are a confidential, impartial, informal, and independent resource for staff, faculty, students and administrators at Carolina. We also identify trends and challenges and can make recommendations for change in University policy or practice when appropriate. However, we are not decision makers. We do not have the power to establish, change, or set aside any University rules, policies, or management decisions.
DAWN OSBORNE-ADAMS
Dawn Osborne-Adams was appointed University Ombuds and Director of the Ombuds Office on August 1, 2018.
Dawn feels fortunate to serve in this role and is committed to offering excellent ombuds services to everyone who works, studies and lives at Carolina. She supports efforts to advance the mission of the University and its goal of being a great public university that welcomes and values all members of the campus community and treats everyone with respect, fairness, and kindness.
Dawn has devoted her professional life to helping individuals and organizations develop constructive approaches to challenging situations. Before joining Carolina, Dawn served as a consultant Ombuds at Shell Oil Company, University Ombudsman at Binghamton University (a campus of the State University of New York), an alternative dispute resolution administrator and law clerk for the United States Federal Court and an attorney working in the public interest.
Dawn earned her B.S. from Georgetown University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law. She also holds a certificate in dispute resolution from the Straus Institute at Pepperdine University School of Law.
JOSHUA CANZONA
Joshua Canzona joins Carolina as Associate Ombuds after three years of service as the founding ombudsman at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Born and raised in rural North Carolina, Josh is proud to serve a university committed to enhancing the quality of life for communities across the state through education, research, and service.
Josh taught public high school in Raleigh before working in higher education for the last decade in a variety of staff, faculty, and administrator roles. He also values civic engagement and received a Winston Under 40 Leadership Award from the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce for service in support of the arts and on government committees advancing social justice and anti-poverty initiatives.
As a scholar, Josh maintains research and writing interests in Muslim-Christian understanding and the comparative study of Christian and Islamic mysticism.
Josh earned a PhD from Georgetown University, an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an MTS from Harvard Divinity School, an MA from The University of Chicago, and a BA from Loyola University of New Orleans.
VICTORIA DOWD
Victoria is the Assistant University Ombuds and Program Specialist for the University Ombuds office. She has over twenty-five years of service at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has served on various committees and boards across campus.
Her professional training includes mediation, managing conflict and confrontation, advanced problem solving, coaching, performance management, student services, supervisory resources and a variety of courses offered by the International Ombudsman Association.
Victoria is a recipient of the 2006 State Employee’s Award for Excellence, 2005 Chancellor’s Award, Star Heels Award and the Carolina Black Caucus award. She is a member of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) where she has served as a member of the Board of Directors and committee member. She is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution and the American Bar Association.