UNCLASSIFIED

1

UNCLASSIFIED

MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Date/Time: September 12, 2018, 1:30pm – 3:00pm

Location: USDA, 1400 Independence Ave, SW, 1st Floor, Room 1052(c) and Dial-in

Agenda:

1. Update on COFO listserv/website issues

2. Mentoring Program Update

3. Discussion Topic

4. Announcements 

Highlights:

1. Listserv Technical Issues

a. Currently the COFO website is functioning at a normal status

b. Functional issues with the COFO Listserv continue. The Executive Committee is seeking 

to explore additional options.

i. Executive Committee is seeking a non-governmental platform such as 

Google/Gmail. A Gmail account has been set up and we are seeking members to 

participate in a test pilot. If you are interested in participating in the pilot, or 

have concerns regarding the non-governmental platform, please reach out to 

Paul Sotoudeh, Heather Milner, or Tyler Smith.

c. If you are not getting COFO emails, or need any assistance sending something to the 

COFO membership, please reach out to Paul Sotoudeh, Heather Milner, or Tyler Smith.

2. COFO Annual Conference Update

a. A registration email, including the agenda with topics and speakers was sent on 

Monday, September 10, 2018. We ask all individuals who are attending the conference 

to sign up via the registration link. When registering, please indicate name of the 

organization and method of attendance (in person/online).

i. COFO members may distribute the COFO Conference flyer to individuals/entities 

interested in attending the conference in the ADR field. 

b. The COFO Annual Conference will be held at the US Patent and Trademark Office 

(Alexandria, VA) on October 12 and will be available via the web. However, not all 

activities will be available for the online platform. The conference is scheduled to begin 

at 0800 with networking opportunities. The first presentation will begin at 0830am.

i. The committee is seeking volunteers for the day of, if you are interested in 

attending, please email Bina Patel and Tyler Smith.
UNCLASSIFIED

2

UNCLASSIFIED

c. COFO members interested in participating or may have questions/concerns, please 

contact Bina Patel (Bina.M.Patel.Civ@mail.mil) and Tyler Smith (Tyler.Smith@nih.gov).

3. Mentoring Program Update

i. Mentoring committee has met twice in the past month to tackle four major 

areas:

1. Launch Email: A launch email will be sent on Monday, October 1, 2018 

notifying mentor/mentee matches. Email preparations are underway.

2. Email Platform: Applications for mentors/mentees are to be sent to a 

non-governmental platform. Currently the platform, such as Gmail is 

being considered. 

3. Mentor/Mentee Selections: Mentors selection and mentee matches will 

be considered post deadline of applications.

4. Evaluation Process: committee is exploring a continuous evaluation 

process once post mentor/mentee selections

b. If you have any questions and/or interested in becoming a mentor/mentee, please 

contact Wendy Kamenshine (Wendy.Kamenshine@cfpb.gov) and David Michael 

(David.Michael@nih.gov). 

4. Discussion Topic: Encouraging Proactive Behavior from Stakeholders

a. How do you encourage proactive behavior from your stakeholders? (Adapted from an 

element of last month’s Courageous Ombudsman discussion)

i. In a vigorous conversation, participants commended external ombudsman for 

their resiliency when working with stakeholders

ii. Proactive behavior is encouraged by providing a single point of contact to the 

stakeholder to help address their concerns regarding a specific issue. The 

purpose is to prevent beneficiaries/guests from contacting other agents at the 

organization that may interfere with the process and/or status of the case.

iii. Participants advised that an external ombudsman’s function can become 

challenging when beneficiaries/guests seek assistance outside of their point of 

contact, such as their congressman and/or an agency’s leadership chain. 

iv. Suggestion was made for external ombudsman to meet with their internal 

components to identify possible resources to help beneficiaries/guests with 

their concerns, specifically those resources that can be shared publically.

v. A suggestion for best practice, include speaking to the beneficiary/guest via 

phone, with a follow up formal letter or email. The latter permits for 

recordkeeping and tracking, specifically if the beneficiary/guest responds after a 

couple of years. 

b. What has to be in place for this to occur?

i. Keep all information confidential and not sharing it with internal agents

(including returnees).

ii. Be cognizant of the communication style: a style that is direct with a soft 

approach to address difficult topics. 

1. When an external ombudsman cannot help further with the case, it is 

reasonable to respond to beneficiaries/guests with a message, “all 
UNCLASSIFIED

3

UNCLASSIFIED

resources and options have been exhausted. If you have any additional 

or new concerns, please contact us.”

2. External ombudsman should adhere to their internal policies when 

working with beneficiaries/guests. Deviances can cause disruptions and 

loss of control over the case.

c. Takeaway: When dealing with difficult individuals, it is important to think about your 

time and availability. As ombudsmen, our emotional/mental states are finite. We cannot 

help further on this issue, as all options have been exhausted and this takes away from 

your ability to help others. 
UNCLASSIFIED

4

UNCLASSIFIED

Attendees:

In-Person

Naef, Daya 

Sotoudeh, Paul – United States Patent and Trademark Office

Webb, Robert, Armed Forces Retirement Home

Call-In

Balick, Howard, FDA

Behr, Virginia – Department of Health and Human Services

Berg, Mollie -National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Brown, Amy – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Brown, Andrea - United States Patent and Trademark Office

Coleman, Jean – US Small Business Administration

Doyle, Bill- U.S. Secret Service

Epps, Ayanna – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Fox, Angela - USDA

Hill, Gary- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Kamenshine, Wendy – Consumer Financial and Protection Bureau

Katherine, Erica- FDA

Kelly, John-SBA

Kinnavy, Noreen - International Broadcasting Bureau 

Kith, Sara-National Institute of Health

Landau, Natalie Landau-U.S State Dept.

Larkins, Marcia – Department of Health and Human Services

Lee, Joy - NCUA

Lewis, Kimberley Day – Department of Homeland Security

Manderson, Katie- Office of the Attorney General of Texas

Maurer, Bill – Department of Energy

McGuire, Carrie – Office of Government Information Services

Merrix, Celeste – Department of Homeland Security

Michael, David – Department of Health and Human Services

Milner, Heather – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Morey, Chauncenette- FBI 

Murphy, Martha – National Archives and Records Administration 

Patel, Bina – National Ground Intelligence Center

Platt, Meadow – Food and Drug Administration 

Range, Eric – FDIC

Rippy, Katherine – Department of Health and Human Services

Rowe, Mary, MIT

Rudolph, Mary Chavez Rudolph-Department of Interior 

Semo, Alina – National Archives and Records Administration 

Smith, Tyler – Department of Health and Human Services

Stukes, Jock - National Reconnaissance Organization

Walker, Don – Department of Defense

Watson, Michelle – Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA)
UNCLASSIFIED

5

UNCLASSIFIED

Weber, Guy - National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Wolfe, Lexi – Small Business Administration

Wright, Donald – US Department of Agriculture

Yuille, Deanna – Department of Health and Human Services 

Zeller, Jessica – Department of Health and Human Services

Zrubek, Tom – Department of Defense