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MEETING MINUTES 

Meeting Date and Time: August 12, 2020, 1:30 pm – 2:57 pm (EDT) 

Location:  Teleconference 

Agenda:

1. Checking in and Ombuds Supporting Ombuds (OSO) 

2. COFO Annual Conference update 

3. COFO Charter and Governance Workgroup 

4. Past Chair Advisory Council Meeting 

5. Ombuds Day reminder – Ombuds Day is October 8th 

6. Discussion Topics: 

a. Returning to in‐person practice – a review and discussion of the IOA COVID‐19 

guidance document and considering establishment of guidelines/best practices 

for return to in‐person practice, whenever that might be 

b. General Questions: Space for newer ombuds and programs (and people looking 

to set up programs) to ask questions and get feedback.  No issue is too big or 

small so ask away!  

7. Announcements – Training opportunities, job postings, or really any office and 

ombudsman happenings you'd like to announce.  

Highlights: 

1. Checking in and OSO 

a. Space for discussion and supporting ombuds dealing with the challenges of the 

continuing COVID‐19 pandemic and whatever is on your mind.  

b. How are reasonable accommodations for workers over age 65 and those with 

underlying medical conditions being handled in the Federal government and what 

legal issues are related?   

c. Accommodations made include flexible schedules, additional cleaning requirements, 

separate spaces for mask wearers, and changes in work assignments. 

d. Accommodations could be for those who want to wear a mask, for those who 

cannot wear a mask for medical reasons, or those who not want to wear a mask.  
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e. EEOC's Office of Federal Operations (OFO) issued instructions on April 6, 2020, 

regarding the processing of federal sector EEO complaints and have pages with 

consolidated relevant coronavirus and COVID‐19 information and to answer 

questions from the public about the EEO laws and COVID‐19.  

f. Next Ombuds Supporting Ombuds (OSO) call on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, from 

2 – 3 pm EDT.  

g. Next month, Wednesday, September 23, 2020, from 2 – 3 pm EDT the OSO call will 

have a guest speaker, a clinical social worker/therapist. 

2. COFO Annual Conference Update 

a. The COFO Annual Conference will be 100% virtual.  

b. The newly formed COFO annual conference committee had its first meeting, July 28, 

2020. 

c. Committee is working to decide the platform and any presentation or topics people 

would like to present.    

d. Speakers or presenters within the COFO membership who are available to present 

can send an email to Paul Sotoudeh or anyone on the executive committee.   

e. Next annual conference committee meeting is Friday, August 14, 2020. Send Paul 

Sotoudeh an email if you would like to join. 

 Added topic:  COFO Mentoring Program update 

a. Mentoring cohort in progress with 12 mentors/mentees.  

b. Announcement of sign‐up for round four (4) of the COFO mentoring cohort is coming 

soon in mid‐September. 

c. Mentors should have a minimum of 3 years of experience as a practicing ombuds. 

d. Mentees should be a practicing federal ombuds at any level of experience or years of 

service. 

e. The decision timeframe will be 4 – 6 weeks and mentor/mentee matches are made 

using a detailed process based on experience and skill level. 

f. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the next round of mentoring as a mentor or 

mentee.  

3. COFO Charter and Governance Workgroup 

a. Email sent on Wednesday, August 05, 2020, announcing the COFO Charter and 

Governance Workgroup.

b. This workgroup will be tasked with reviewing COFO’s Charter, other governance 

documents, and recommending amendments, if necessary.

c. Bill Maurer, a former COFO Chair, has agreed to chair the Charter and Governance 

Workgroup.

d. All who are interested in serving on this workgroup can contact Paul Sotoudeh: 

Paul.Sotoudeh@USPTO.GOV  or William Maurer: william.maurer@census.gov .  

People with a variety of experiences and backgrounds are welcomed to respond.
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e. Everyone is also encouraged to review COFO governance documents and provide 

feedback to this group.

 Added topic:  New Ombuds Training 

a. Eight power hours of basic ombudsman training will be provided to new internal 

ombudsmen to be provided August 31 – September 03, 2020, Mon – Thurs. from 11 am 

‐ 1pm EDT each day.  

b. A basic training was developed by Scott Deyo at DOE along with other COFO colleagues 

for a new internal ombudsman program.  

c. Training also will be open to any new COFO ombuds. 

d. Topics to be covered are overview of the role of federal ombudsman, independence and 

developing relationships with resource partners, confidentially and records, remaining 

neutral, practical strategies, building rapport, and tracking/records maintenance.  

e. Anyone interested in attending this training should send an email to 

Scott.Deyo@hg.doe.gov . 

4. Past Chair Advisory Council Meeting 

a. This informal group formed two years ago and is comprised of previous COFO chairs. 

b. The past chair council discussed the current state administratively of COFO and 

current topics related to the ombudsman professional. 

c. Group typically meets once a year and last met August 08, 2020.   

d. Primary discussion was centered on the IOA article: “An Initial Enquiry Towards a 

Model of Supervision and Support for Organisational Ombudsmen” and growth of 

the ombudsman profession in the federal space and broadly as a whole.   

e. Discussion continues, as the group will met again within the next few weeks.   

f. Readout from the discussion will happen if concrete ideas are developed for 

consideration by the COFO community.  

5. Ombuds Day reminder 

a. Thursday, October 8, 2020, is Ombuds day.   

b. The website with additional information and the toolkit can be found at 

https://abaombudsday.wordpress.com/2018/09/07/ombuds‐day‐tool‐kit/.

c. Ken Skodacek is a COFO member and the chair for the ABA Ombuds Day committee. 

6. Discussion Topics 

a. Returning to in‐person practice – a review and discussion of the IOA COVID‐19 

guidance document and considering establishment of guidelines/best practices for 

return to in‐person practice, whenever that might be.  

i. Guidance was sent as PDF to members to allow for an informed discussion of 

the article. 

ii. Brief synopsis of IOA guidance document – guidance recommends basic 

practice considerations relative to the physical setting of ombudsman offices, 

use of technology, continue to social distance, continuing to have PPE and 
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having those items available for visitors, maintaining cleanliness of 

workspace, having visitor guidelines accessible online, return to work 

protocols, how to handle exposures to COVID‐19, and potential exceptions to 

confidentiality for unreported exposures or contact tracing activities. 

iii. Physical spacing is of issue as visitors may not have private space to virtually 

have a discussion. 

iv. Masked in‐person conversations with visitors or inquirers seem to have a loss 

of connection as viewed from previous non‐masked interactions.   

v. Consider how to maintain the connection with visitors with the new normal 

instead of attempting to get back to the old normal.   

vi. Agencies are using a combination of in‐person practice, as requested and 

allowed; flexible meeting spaces in accordance with agency protocols; and 

teleworking using video platforms for visits.   

vii. For certain agencies, unclassified telephone booths are a potential resource 

for visitors to have private virtual visits with an ombudsman. 

viii. Is COVID‐19 an imminent risk of serious harm? Does what is currently known 

about the virus support this conclusion?  Thoughts? 

ix. Thoughts on a whole were yes, COVID‐19 falls under the ombudsman 

practice exceptions to confidentially based on the imminent risk of serious 

harm and this should be disclosed to visitors during the initial 

visit/discussion.  

x. Disclosures of exceptions to confidentiality relating to COVID‐19 are 

suggested to be made during in‐person and virtual visits as the visitor may 

disclose COVID‐19 status during a virtual discussion.  

b.  General Questions: Space for newer ombuds and programs (and people looking to 

set up programs) to ask questions and get feedback.  No issue is too big or small so 

ask away!  

i. Due to time constraints, this topic was tabled until the September monthly 

meeting.

7. Announcements 

a. Ombuds Supporting Ombuds (OSO) call on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, from 2 – 3 

pm EDT.
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Attendance 08/12/2020 

Last  First  Agency   Call

‐In 

Balick  Howard  FDA  1 

Bedlivy  Dawn  NSA  1 

Behr  Virginia   FDA  1 

Berg  Mollie   DOD / National Geospatial‐

Intelligence Agency (NGA) 

1 

Bloch  Brian   DOI  1 

Cameron  Bob  CFPB?  1 

Deyo  Scott   DOE  1 

Epps  Ayanna  FDIC  1 

Feliciano  Ramon  DOD / DIA  1 

Frazier  Veronica  DOD / DIA  1 

Garmon  Felisa  CFPB  1 

Gordon   Laurel  US Marshals Service  1 

Gnatt  Sheldon  NSA  1 

Hartman  Jessie  NARA/ Office of 

Government Information 

Services (OGIS) 

1 

Hurley  Nathan  FDA / Center for Tobacco 

Products 

1 

Kamenshine  Wendy   CFPB  1 

Katherine  Erica  FDA  1 

Kelly  John   SBA  1 

Kinnavy   Noreen   Broadcasting Board of 

Governors  

1 

Kith  Sarah  Library of Congress  1 

Lenkel  Laurie  FDA  1 

Levine  Lisa  DOJ / Executive Office of 

Immigration Review (EOIR) 

1 

Lewis  Mark D.   FDA as of August 21  1 

Maurer  Bill  Census  1 

McNeil  Tracey  SEC  1 

Megee  Christine  DOD Education Activity  1 

Mesbahi  Mohammad  IRS  1 
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Last  First  Agency   Call

‐In 

Michael  David   NIH  1 

Mills  Laurel  DOJ / USMS  1 

Milner  Heather  CFPB  1 

Morey  Chauncenett

e 

FBI  1 

Patel  Bina  FEMA  1 

Patno  Arielle  FDA / Center for Tobacco 

Products 

1 

Porch  Susanne  Commerce / National 

Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) 

1 

Robinson  Dale     1 

Reed  Janay  DOD / DIA  1 

Rowe  Mary  Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology (MIT) 

1 

Simpson  Melissa  HHS / ACL  1 

Sotoudeh  Paul  USPTO  1 

Stergio  Marcus  Office of Federal Contract 

Compliance Programs / DOL 

1 

Trujillo  Sarah  USDA  1 

Vermillion  Chris  TSA  1 

Weber  Guy   DOD / NGA  1 

Whittington  Fred (Whitt)  DOL OIG  1 

Wolfe  Lexi  DOE  1 

      Total  45