UCOP has selected Callale Concon as its first ombudsperson.

The Office of the President is pleased to announce that it has selected Callale Concon as its first ombudsperson. Callale comes to UCOP from UC Merced, where she has served as the campus ombudsperson since 2016.

The Ombuds Office was initially launched in January, 2021, to support UCOP staff in resolving workplace conflict in a safe and confidential manner. Its creation aligned with ongoing anti-racism initiatives, as outlined in UCOP’s strategic framework. Over the past several months, Bodi Regan of the UC Berkeley Ombuds Office has served in the role of temporary ombudsperson. The UCOP ombudsperson will report to the president’s chief of staff.

“We are pleased to welcome Callale to UCOP,” says President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “With her guidance, we will advance our efforts to provide an inclusive and equitable workplace and encourage employees to strengthen relationships through transparent communication. I look forward to working closely with Callale on these important issues.”

Callale brings a deep understanding of UC’s systemwide organizational structure, as well as campus life.

As a founding staff member at UC Merced, she was instrumental in establishing and developing service units, programs and culture for the campus’ Graduate Division. She is a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner™ (CO-OP™), a state-certified mediator in mediating two-party and complex departmental disputes, a certified professional coach and certified in transformative facilitation and intercultural communications group dynamics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational communications from CSU Stanislaus, and a master’s degree in higher education leadership and administration from CSU Sacramento.

Callale’s passion for helping individuals and groups to find pathways through conflicts is inspired by her journey as an immigrant and first-generation student. “My personal experiences with conflict help guide my approach in empowering others to do the same. I look forward to supporting UCOP staff in dispute and conflict resolution and management through strengthening and building human relationships,” Callale says.

Thank you to the following individuals who participated in the hiring committee:

• Nancy Pluzdrak, Executive Director, UCOP Human Resources – Committee Chair
• Karen Arnold, HR Business Partner, UCOP
• Maureen Brodie, Ombudsperson, UCSF
• Alex Bustamante, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance & Audit Officer, UCOP
• Karl Engelbach, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, UC Davis
• Francesca Galarraga, Former Organizational Consultant, Office of Workforce Inclusion and Belonging, UCOP
• Sally Gelini, Senior Recruiter, UCOP
• Elizabeth Halimah, Associate Vice Provost, Student and Equity Affairs, UCOP
• Sara Thacker, Director & Ombudsperson, UC Berkeley
• Paula Trejo-Phillips, FSAP Counselor, UCOP/UCSF
• Tony Yang, Program Policy Analyst, UC Health, and OPSA Representative

Learn more about the UCOP Ombuds Office.

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