Dr. Jodi Merriday

Dr. Jodi Merriday is the Ombudsman of Neighborhoods for the City of Atlanta and the Chief Executive Officer of Diplomacy, Inc. She is a civility, fairness, alternative dispute resolution, and equity subject matter expert, curriculum developer, trainer, speaker, and curator. Over 100 Universities, Corporations and School Districts have utilized her curated content for Trainings, Leadership and Professional Development Programming, New Student and Employee Orientations and Heritage Month Commemorations. Notable clients have included: (MEACC) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, The NFL, Beam Suntory, Consolidated School District of New Britain Connecticut, Atlanta Board of Education, City of Atlanta, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, Penn State University, St. Bonaventure University, Indiana University, University of Tampa, PRATT Munson Wilson, Georgia Highlands Colleges, and Ivy Tech Colleges. Her most notable skills include the capacity to bridge understanding, develop, and introduce innovative trainings that increase awareness and address ameliorating rac(ISM), sex(ISM), heterosex(ISM), class(ISM) able(ISM) and xenophobia.

Dr. Merriday has over 30 years of experience working in higher education, public education, and government. She worked as an Assistant Professor at Gordon State College, Lecturer at Spelman College, Community College of Philadelphia, Art Institute of Philadelphia and Clark Atlanta University, Adjunct Lecturer at Georgia State University, Special Assistant to the President of Spelman College, and as the Assistant Director of the Georgia State University Neighborhood Collaborative.

Dr. Merriday’s past decade of service as an Ombudsman commenced with her Appointment in 2014 to a two-year term following the largest public education cheating scandal in US history.  This body of work pivoted her to distinction as a subject matter expert, skilled facilitator, and diplomacy whisperer. She is often called upon to moderate crucial conversations and create safe spaces for unpacking bias, prejudice, microaggression, trending topics, controversial events, and incidents of organizational or community fracture.

Dr. Merriday is a State of Georgia Registered Neutral and Advanced Mediator {Atlanta Justice Center}, Arbitrator {Henning Mediation and Arbitration}, Certified in the Foundations of Organizational Ombudsman Theory and Practice (International Ombudsman Association), Certified Anger Management Specialist and Fellow {National Anger Management Association}, Certified Trainer, Managing Workplace Conflict {Eckerd College} and Certified Workplace Mediator {Eckerd College}. She received her M.A. from Temple University in Sociology, M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Development Management and Ph.D. from Temple University in African American Studies.