Office Staff

Francine Montemurro

University Ombuds

Francine Montemurro (fmonte@bu.edu) was appointed Boston University’s first Ombuds in September 2009. She practices in accordance with the International Ombuds Association (IOA) Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. She holds a BA from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton,  and a JD from Syracuse University. She established the Office of the University Ombudsman at SUNY Binghamton 1997, and served as the Ombudsman there through 2009. She has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, including providing interventions and workshops on mediation and conflict management. She served two terms on the IOA  Board of Directors and served on numerous IOA standing committees. She is also the ombuds for American Finance Association.

Riley Barrar

Associate Ombuds

Riley Barrar (rbarrar@bu.edu) holds a B.S. in Communication Studies and Justice Studies from James Madison University, with concentrations in Conflict Analysis and Intervention and Social Justice, and an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University with a focus in Narrative Conflict Resolution. Riley was an Associate Ombudsman at the Department of State and at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist at the Air Force General Counsel’s Office. She has a background in mediation, facilitation, conflict coaching, conflict resolution training, program development, outreach, and integrated conflict management systems analysis and design. Riley has also served in leadership roles in the Coalition of Federal Ombudsman and as a mentor in adhering to ombuds professional standards of practice.

Erin Wright

Associate Ombuds

Erin Wright (wrighte@bu.edu) is thrilled to join the office as an Associate Ombuds. She has a passion for alternative dispute resolution, with experience in mediation, conflict resolution training, mediation program management, human resources, and law. Erin values kindness and individual empowerment, a natural lead-in to the ombuds’ work in which she is now engaged. Erin holds a B.A. in Humanities from Providence College, a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a JD from the University of Notre Dame School of Law. Erin is honored to serve on the board of The Nonviolence Institute, a nonprofit interrupting gang violence through teaching and living the principles of nonviolence.

Greg Burns

Administrative Coordinator

Greg Burns (gmburns@bu.edu) comes to the Office of the Ombuds in a part-time financial and administrative role. Professionally, he is an artist, but prior to becoming an artist he worked as a Financial Analyst at Boston Children’s Hospital and as a Budget Analyst on the Massachusetts House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. He has two B.A. degrees from the University of Maine: one in Journalism and the other in Public Administration. He earned an MSc. In European and International Politics from the University of Edinburgh. Greg developed as an artist starting in 2011 while living in Santiago de Chile before moving to Curitiba, Brazil, where he lived for 5.5 years before returning to the U.S.