As per our bylaws, amended on the 23 November 2018, the Society has appointed an Ombudsperson to offer a safe, confidential channel of communication that can be used to raise concerns or report problems.
The Ombudsperson's name is Rachelle Pereira, her contact address is here.
The Ombudsperson shall be an independent position that is not overseen by or associated with the editorial offices or managerial structures of the Society. The Ombudsperson will be a designated neutral party external to the Society; the Ombudsperson shall be not advocate for any individual nor the organization but rather serve as an advocate for fairness. The Ombudsperson shall be a source of information and referral and will assistant Society’s affiliates by answering questions and assisting in the resolution of concerns or critical situations. The Ombudsperson shall consider any given instance of concern from the point of view of all parties that might be involved. This position shall supplement but not replace any other existing structures for addressing grievances.
The Ombudsperson shall pledge to maintain confidentiality in all matters (to the extent that is legally possible). The Ombudsperson shall bring any issues directly to the Board of Directors as needed, shall prepare periodic reports to document any patterns of problems in existing practices and policies, and recommend revisions and improvements to existing policies.