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MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Date and Time: January 13, 2021, 1:30‐3:00 pm (ET)

Location:  WebEx

Agenda:

1. Mentoring Committee update

2. Social Media Committee update

3. Charter & Governance Workgroup update

4. Next OSO Meeting  

5. IOA Standards of Practice status

6. Announcements – Training opportunities, job openings, or really any office and

ombudsman happenings you'd like to tell the world about

7. For Your Awareness – Summary of the situation at the University of Mississippi

8. Discussion Topics

Highlights:

1. Mentoring Committee Update

a. Executive Committee selected Mentoring Committee: Virginia Behr, Brenda

Doty, Fatimah Mateen, Bill Maurer, and Lisa Levine, who will serve in an ex oficio

capacity as Executive Committee representative

b. Gratitude to the prior committee, especially Wendy Kamenshine and David

Michael, co‐creators of the program, as well as to Laurel Gorden, Bina Patel, and

Felicia Bunns.

c. Special thanks and credit to David Michael for his valued service moving the

Mentoring Program from infancy to a valued service, having overseen four

successful cohorts pairing 30 mentees and mentors

  

2. Social Media Committee Update

a. Erica Katherine serves as Chair with five members, as well as Paul Sotoudeh as

honorary member: Ken Skodacek, Deanna Yuille Banford, Syreeta Jarrett, Sarah

Trujillo, and Bertha Anderson

b. This is an exploratory committee to assess what platforms, if any, are appropriate

for COFO to have a presence
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3. Charter and Governance Workgroup Update

a. First iteration of documents presented to Executive Committee for review

4. OSO Meeting

a. Next meeting of Ombuds Supporting Ombuds (OSO) will be 1/27/2021, 2‐3 pm ET

5. IOA Standards of Practice Status

a. Extended feedback period closed 1/12/2021

b. COFO requested meeting with IOA Board, but that did not happen

6. University of Mississippi Update

a. Ongoing internal whistleblower investigation

b. University requested ombuds records

c. Ombuds sued university

d. University put ombuds on leave

7. Announcements

a. ARC has new annual report posted and delivered to Congress:

https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/enterprise‐assets/pdfs/FY20‐

Ombudsman‐Annual‐Report.pdf

8. Dealing with a Transition as an Ombuds/Ombuds Office Discussion: A change in federal

leadership is imminent – how do federal ombuds offices need to go about preparing? If

you’ve experienced a transition in the past, what advice do you have for the federal

ombuds community? Do you have any stories, experiences, or tips to share?

a. Mollie Berg led discussion

b. Be ready to educate what ombuds role is, what ombuds do, Standards ombuds hold,

and value of ombuds

c. Fundamental ombuds role remains the same

d. Can collect documents such as ACUS report, COFO Endorsement, IOA Standards of

Practice, and ADRA to have at the ready

Attendance 1/13/2021

Last First Agency Call-In 

Adams Joanne USDA 1 

Anderson Jeff DOE 1 

Arbid Michelle FEMA 1 

Balick Howard FDA 1 

Barrar Riley CFPB 1 

Bayley Bernardo Defense Language Institute 1 
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Last First Agency Call-In 

Bedlivy Dawn NSA 1 

Berg Mollie DOD / National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 

(NGA) 1 

Brothers Linda NIH 1 

Brown Andrea United States Patent and Trademark Office 

(USPTO) 1 

Byron Jason NIH 1 

Cameron Bob CFPB 1 

Coleman Jean SBA 1 

Danabar Sheila TSA 1 

Davenport 

Dayes 

Nathelia 

(Nicky) FEMA 1 

Ekwuabu Ogochukwu Department of Veterans Affairs 1 

Epps Ayanna FDIC 1 

Fox Angela FDA 1 

Garmon Felisa CFPB 1 

Gnatt Sheldon NSA 1 

Gordon Laurel DOJ / U. S. Marshals Service (USMS) 1 

Green Veronica State OIG 1 

Harris Robert D. FDIC 1 

Heffernan Claire TSA 1 

Hobson Shirley VA Tennessee Valley Health Care System 1 

Hopkins Emilee NGA 1 

Kamenshine Wendy CFPB 1 

Katherine Erica FDA 1 

Kinnavy Noreen Broadcasting Board of Governors 1 

Levine Lisa DOJ / Executive Office of Immigration Review 

(EOIR) 1 

Lewis Mark D. FDA 1 

Malone Marcus DOJ / USMS 1 

Manderson Katie VA 1 

Mateen Fatimah DHS / USCIS 1 

Mattice Steve 1 

Maurer Bill Census 1 

McNeil Tracey SEC 1 
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Last First Agency Call-In 

Megee Christine DOD Education Activity 1 

Michael David NIH 1 

Miller Carla DOJ / ATF 1 

Milner Heather CFPB 1 

Moore Sandi NRO 1 

Morey Chauncenette FBI 1 

Piziali Jamie EPA 1 

Raymond Xaivian NASA 1 

Richards Amber SBA 1 

Robinson Belinda FBI 1 

Rojas Nick DOD / DIA 1 

Rowe Mary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1 

Skodacek Ken FDA 1 

Sotoudeh Paul USPTO 1 

Taylor Lelar VA 1 

Trujillo Sarah USDA 1 

Varner Tahirih National Park Service 1 

Vermillion Chris TSA 1 

Villafane Jacqueline American Red Cross 1 

Voloshin Victor NIH 1 

Walker Don DOD / Army Medical Readiness Assistance Program 1 

Walker Olivia DOD / US Army Medical Command 1 

Weber Guy DOD / NGA 1 

White Karen DOD / National Guard Bureau 1 

Whittington Fred (Whitt) DOL OIG 1 

Wolfe Lexi DOE 1 

Yuille Banford Deanna DOD / Defense Human Resources Activity 1 

 Total 64