Leadership Team
Lori Sweeney, Chairman Emeritus, co-founded Ombudsman in 1975 with James Boyle. They began with one center in northern Illinois and built the company to include 82 sites nationwide. In 2001, upon Mr. Boyle’s death, Lori transitioned from President of the company to CEO and Chairman. She recently sold Ombudsman to Educational Services of America, but continues to play a role as Chairman Emeritus. She is a member of Education Industry Association (EIA), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and Education Industry Leadership Board (EILB). She is a leader in the education industry and is often sought out to speak at national conferences. A graduate of Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, Lori holds multiple teaching certificates and has worked in a variety of capacities in education. Prior to entering the education field she worked in human resources and public relations.
Allison O’Neill, Vice President of Operations, began her career with Ombudsman in 1997 as a certified teacher at one of the centers. She quickly advanced to a director position, then regional manager in Illinois, and then Director of Center Operations overseeing all our regional managers and the training manager. In 2006 she was promoted to VP of Operations, and is responsible for leadership, support and guidance for the overall operational strategy of Ombudsman. She overees instruction, sales, marketing and management functions. Allison has a B.A. in Education from Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Sue Fila, Assistant Vice President of Operations, began her career with Ombudsman in 1999 as a certified teacher at the Hubbard Center. She has held the positions of Center Director, Regional Manager for Illinois and New Hampshire, and Assistant Director of Center Operations overseeing the Regional Managers supervising Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In 2006, she was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Operations and is responsible for overseeing center operations through management of the Operations Managers supervising Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Sue has a B.S. in Education from the Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania.
Emily Langfeldt, Assistant Vice President of Operations, has been a member of the Ombudsman team since 1998. Beginning her career as a teacher in Skokie, Illinois, Emily advanced to the position of center director then regional manager for Illinois, Texas and New Hampshire before taking this current position. In 2006, she was promoted to the position of Assistant VP of Operations and is responsible for overseeing center operations through management of the operations managers located in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi and Texas. Emily has a B.A. in Psychology from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Janice Zagorniak, Director of Integrity Assurance, is responsible for maintaining consistent quality in the program at all the OES centers across the country. She also works with ESA to insure quality in their schools. Janice began her career at Ombudsman 17 years ago as a director of one of the learning centers. She has a B.A. in Education and Psychology as well as a M.A. in Education. She has been involved in a wide variety of areas in both education and administration.