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MEETING MINUTES 

Meeting Date/Time:  March 14, 2018, 1:30pm – 3:00pm 

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

Agenda: 

1. NARA/Records Management Project Update 

2. Mentoring Program Update 

3. IOA Government Sector Meeting Update 

4. Databases and Reporting Tools Update  

5. Discussion Topic: COFO Communications and Social Media – should COFO be more active in its 

communications (e.g., add a LinkedIn or other social media presence)? 

6. Culture Related Resources 

7. Position Openings and Ombuds News 

8. Additional topics raised by Members  

Highlights: 

1. NARA/Records Management Project Update 

a. Thank you to those volunteering to assist the Executive Committee in working with 

NARA on developing standard record schedules for ombuds programs. Over the next 

few weeks 1‐2 COFO members will be chosen to participate in the project. 

b. The timeframe for the project has slowed at NARA’s request. Efforts are expected to 

pick up in April or May. 

2. Mentoring Program Update 

a. Program design is approaching completion and will be informally shared with a small 

group of reviewers before going final. The design will address key aspects, including: 

i. Parameters of the relationship (i.e., what is it? what is it not?) 

ii. Mentor qualifications 

iii. Appropriate timeframe for a mentor/mentee relationship 

iv. Matching mentors and mentees 

v. Program goals 

b. Generally speaking, designers are looking at 6 month to 1 year commitments of both 

mentors and mentees, with mentors chosen from ombuds programs that are practicing 

to IOA standards (with possible exceptions).  

c. The program will be available to current, practicing members of COFO from both 

internally and externally facing ombuds programs. 

d. Questions and Answers 
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i. How will matching occur? Examining the use of a COFO mentoring committee 

that will manage the process, with selection occurring on perhaps a biannual 

basis. 

ii. To what degree could these relationships be leveraged for career 

advancement? The program is designed to help build skills, not to identify 

specific job opportunities. It is specifically designed for practicing ombuds, not 

aspiring ombuds. 

3. IOA Government Sector Meeting Update 

a. The 2018 International Ombudsman Association Conference, to be held April 23‐25 in 

Richmond, VA, will include a number of concurrent sector‐specific meetings, including 

one focused on government ombuds. This meeting will be held from 9:30 – 10:30am on 

Tuesday, April 24. 

b. A small group of COFO members is designing the framework for the government sector 

meeting around the theme “Tools in Times of Change”, which will include small group 

discussions around subtopics related to the theme. 

c. The session will also include a networking component. 

4. Databases and Reporting Tools Update  

a. The National Institutes of Health utilizes a database system developed by i‐Sight. As a 

result of this relationship i‐Sight has piloted a proof of concept product that is designed 

to align closely with the unique requirements of an ombuds program.  

b. The company will be at the 2018 IOA conference to discuss the proof of concept and to 

answer questions. 

c. Questions and Answers 

i. What is the cost of the current database? While specific costs are procurement 

sensitive, the costs are characterized as middle of the road amongst vendors. 

Costs includes an initial design fee plus on‐going license fees based on number 

of users. 

5. Discussion Topic: COFO Communications and Social Media – should COFO be more active in its 

communications (e.g., add a LinkedIn or other social media presence)? 

a. COFO has been historically active in communication among members through both the 

website and listserv. Is it possible to extend this reach? 

b. Advantages of noted by participants include additional visibility and opportunities for 

members to engage on issues in forums. Disadvantages noted by participants include 

additional time required to maintain outreach (technically and content‐wise), potential 

liabilities of inappropriate information sharing (e.g., FOIA). 

c. Past reference was made to the IOA listserv as a useful tool for soliciting feedback on a 

variety of issues, though to some the email chains became burdensome. 

d. A moderated LinkedIn forum was suggested as a possible tool for avoiding an excessive 

number of emails. GovLoop was also mentioned as a potential host, as was the 

importance of ensuring that any platform chosen is accessible through agency firewalls. 

e. Other suggestions included a recurring podcast featuring topics relevant to ombuds. 

f. In summary, participants favored the capability to have a moderated forum for asking 

questions and sharing information. The ability to opt in or out of email traffic was seen 
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as desirable. Risks associated with such forums were generally seen as manageable 

through disclaimers and other types of content guidance. There is general interest in the 

Executive Committee and interested volunteers moving forward to investigate options.  

6. Culture‐Related Resources  

a. Customers and stakeholders often approach issues differently based on cultural 

differences. Helpful insights may be drawn from a December 2015 article published by 

the Washington State University Extension, entitled “Communicating with Latino 

Farmers: Cultural Aspects and Strategies” by José García‐Pabón and Marcia Ostrom. 

(link: http://extension.wsu.edu/publications/wp‐

content/uploads/sites/54/publications/fs191e.pdf) 

b. The article cites a useful framework for understanding how breakdowns in 

communication may occur depending on the high and low contexts that define 

relationships. 

c. This material was found helpful in circumstances where an ombuds was placed in a 

diverse population of customers/stakeholders, and inspired the question of what other 

resources may be available to assist with cross cultural communication.  

i. For example, the Culture Card: A Guide to Build Cultural Awareness, American 

Indian and Alaska Native was designed for federal disaster responders and 

federal coordinators (link: https://store.samhsa.gov/product/American‐Indian‐

and‐Alaska‐Native‐Culture‐Card/SMA08‐4354)  

d. Other resources? 

i. Participants mentioned educational offerings in cultural communication offered 

by various vendors, including Department of Agriculture and the “Great 

Courses” program.  The Peace Corps was also mentioned as a potential 

resource. 

ii. A participant referenced a Generational Differences Chart as having been 

helpful in the past, noting further that it was a bit out of date and makes some 

controversial assertions/generalizations (link:  

http://www.wmfc.org/uploads/GenerationalDifferencesChart.pdf) 

iii. Participants also noted the importance of self‐awareness and being mindful of 

differences in style and their impact on relationships. 

7. Position Openings and Ombuds News 

a. Department of the Interior plan to post an ombuds position (GS‐14/15) 

b. National Reconnaissance Office plan to post an ombuds position (GS‐13)  

8. Additional topics raised by Members  

a. Ombuds Representation in Agency FMFIA Reporting – General inquiry regarding how 

ombuds programs participate in agency reporting required under the Federal Managers 

Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA) and corresponding OMB A‐123 Guidance. Further inquiry 

will be followed up via the COFO Listserv. 

   
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Attendees: 

In‐Person 

Bloch, Brian – Department of the Interior 

Dea, Joanne – United States Department of Agriculture 

Maurer, Bill – Department of Energy 

Pritzker, David – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Reed, Janay – Defense Intelligence Agency 

Sotoudeh, Paul – United States Patent and Trademark Office 

Thomas , Michelle – Defense Intelligence Agency 

Call‐In 

Achuko, Devara – Department of Homeland Security 

Berg, Mollie – Department of Defense 

Brown, Andrea – United States Patent and Trademark Office 

Brown, Robert – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Bunns, Felicia – Department of Energy 

Carmush, Collete – Department of the Interior 

Condillac, Charmaine – Food and Drug Administration 

Duncan, Natalie – Small Business Administration 

Epps, Ayanna – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Fox, Angela – United States Department of Agriculture 

Garmon, Felisa – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Gerber, Harriet – Department of Health and Human Services 

Gordon, Laurel – Department of Justice 

Hill, Gary – Department of Defense 

Holman , Patrick ‐‐ Department of Energy 

Kamenshine, Wendy – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Kelly, John – Small Business Administration 

Kinnavy, Noreen – International Broadcasting Bureau, Voice of America and Office of Cuba Broadcasting 

Larkins, Marcia – Department of Health and Human Services 

Levine, Lisa – Department of Justice 

Luckam, Stephanie – Department of Homeland Security 

Majdiak , Sarah – Community Relations Service 

Mazur, Cynthia (Cindy) – Director for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Office of Chief Counsel  

McGuire, Carrie – Office of Government Information Services 

Michael , David – Department of Health and Human Services 

Milner, Heather – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Plonk, Maureen – Department of Homeland Security 

Smith, Tyler – Department of Health and Human Services 

Stukes, Jock – National Reconnaissance Organization 

Valdez, Roberta – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Walker, Don – Department of Defense 

Wolfe, Lexi – Small Business Administration 

Yoo, Sonya –  

Yuille, Deanna – Department of Health and Human Services