About Us
Ombuds Office
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Steven D. Prevaux, J.D.
USF Ombuds Officer
Steve is a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner庐 (CO-OP庐) and has completed training in Advanced Conflict Management with Kilmann Diagnostics. He is a Certified Trainer in Workplace Conflict Resolution through the Mediation Training Institute. Since 2021, he is also certified to coach, teach, measure, and improve psychological safety with 鈥淭he 4 Stages of Psychological Safety鈩⑩�� solutions.
Prior service includes:
* Vice President of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA)
* Chair of the IOA Nominations and Governance Committee
* Dispute Resolution Section (Ombuds Committee) of the ABA
* Board of Directors of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators (FAPM)
* Florida Bar Board Certified Legal Specialist in Higher Education Law
* Board of Directors of National Association of College and University Attorneys
(NACUA)
Steve is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Civil Mediator as well as an Appellate
Mediator.
In 2015, he completed the Fulbright International Education Administrators scholarship
program in France and has served as Regional Peer Reviewer for the Fulbright U.S.
Scholar Program. His prior work experience includes the University of Florida, the
Florida Board of Regents of the State University System and private legal practice.
Steve earned his B.A. in International Relations and B.A. in Psychology from the
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and then attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill where he earned his J.D.
Cheryl Lesko
USF Ombuds Office Administrator
Cheryl joined the Ombuds Office in July 2018 and has earned a certification by the
Mediation Training Institute in Resolving Workplace Conflict and in the Use of the
Conflict Dynamics Profile Individual and 360 Assessment Instruments.
Since joining USF in 2006, she has been providing executive administrative services in the SVP/Dean's Office of USF Health and earned a Paralegal Certificate in 2012. From 2013-2017 she applied her paralegal skills by working concurrently with the USF Health Office of Clinical Research negotiating clinical research trial agreements.
Cheryl combines her administrative and paralegal expertise to make the USF Ombuds Office a welcoming and safe place for Faculty, Staff and Administrators to voice concerns, work through conflict situations, and brainstorm for ideas to assist those seeking ways to constructively resolve workplace issues.