Paul Sotoudeh named ombuds at the University of Rochester

Sotoudeh brings to the role more than two decades of service as an ombuds with the federal government.

The University of Rochester has appointed Paul Sotoudeh '95 as ombuds. In this role, Sotoudeh will lead the Ombuds Office, which serves as an impartial, confidential, and informal resource for all faculty, staff, and students across the University. He joins the University on September 15.

The Ombuds Office plays a critical role in promoting a fair, inclusive, and supportive environment by addressing individual concerns, facilitating informal conflict resolution, surfacing systemic issues, serving as an impartial adviser, and fostering effective communication across the University community.

Sotoudeh's appointment follows the retirement of Frederick Jefferson, a professor emeritus at the Warner School of Education who served as University intercessor for more than 40 years, and a reorganization of the University of Rochester Ombuds Affiliate program, which ended in June 2025.

Sotoudeh brings extensive experience to the position, with more than two decades of distinguished service as an ombuds in the federal government. Since 2017, he has served as chief ombuds at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he established and led the agency's first ombuds office for more than 14,000 employees. His leadership earned him the USPTO Director's Award in 2021 and the Bronze Medal in 2024, among the highest forms of recognition for federal service.

A nationally recognized leader in the profession, Sotoudeh has also served four terms as the elected chair of the Coalition of Federal Ombuds (COFO), the primary organization supporting federal ombuds practitioners. In that role, he has supported the strengthening of professional standards across federal ombuds offices, represented the ombuds community to peer organizations, and overseen significant growth of the coalition's services to its members.

"Paul Sotoudeh's depth of experience and national leadership in the ombuds field make him an extraordinary choice to lead the University's Ombuds Office," says Provost Nicole Sampson. "His proven ability to foster trust, independence, and fairness will be invaluable in advancing our commitment to a positive and inclusive climate for all members of the University community."

Sotoudeh earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Rochester before completing a juris doctor at Washington and Lee University School of Law. "After two decades of ombuds practice, it is an incredible honor to have the opportunity to do the work I love at a place I love, my alma mater," Sotoudeh says. "I look forward to building a world-class ombuds program that the University community can trust, rooted strongly in the ombuds professional practice standards of independence, impartiality, and confidentiality."