MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Date/Time: January 11, 2017 1:30pm – 3:00pm

Location: In-person and Dial-in

Agenda:

1. The COFO Standards post ACUS Study-How to support the findings and fill in the gaps. Should 

the emphasis be on the formal Standards or a less formal approach such as guidelines and 

informational resources.

2. Transitions-As we prepare for a change in Government Leadership. Is there anything you need 

during this change, if this is not your first transition, what can you share with the group, do you 

have any stories, experiences, or tips for the group?

3. 2017 COFO Annual Conference Update.

4. Position Openings and Ombuds News.

5. Additional topics raised by Members (please include suggested topics or Ombuds Challenges 

with your RSVP).

Highlights:

1. The COFO Standards post ACUS Study-How to support the findings and fill in the gaps. Should 

the emphasis be on the formal Standards or a less formal approach such as guidelines and 

informational resources.

a. Question to the group regarding the COFO Standards document, emphasis on a formal 

document or guidelines that point to/reference the ACUS study?

i. Less formal document that contains/references ACUS recommendations with 

practice notes added; maybe something that supports/endorses the 

recommendations. 

ii. High level overview with the core standards then create fact sheets.

iii. Note of caution to continue to include both internal and external facing 

Ombudsman.

iv. "A Guide for Federal Employee Ombuds: A Supplement to and Annotation of the 

Standards for the Establishment and Operations of Ombuds Offices Issued by the 

American Bar Association".
2. Transitions-As we prepare for a change in Government Leadership. Is there anything you need 

during this change, if this is not your first transition, what can you share with the group, do you 

have any stories, experiences, or tips for the group?

a. Change in leadership may trigger questions about the value added of an Ombudsman 

office. It’s good to not assume new leaders/constituents know the function of an 

Ombudsman and how they help the organization and maybe what the office doesn’t do. 

Look internally for metrics (i.e. number of visitors, accomplishments) and dust off your 

elevator speech. 

b. This may be the first time offices are transitioning between political parties. 

c. New executives coming in with military backgrounds; there’s a difference in the role of 

the Ombudsman in military organizations. Consider reviewing ACUS chart explaining the 

different roles of an Ombudsman in different organizations.

d. Getting smart about who’s coming in may help you flex to their style. Be prepared to 

share systemic concerns.

e. Notion of “savings to our workforce” assigning a quantifiable savings to the benefits of 

having an Ombudsman’s office. Consider looking at cost savings from costly, formal 

processes (EEO complaints, FOIA requests). “A good Ombuds is likely to prevent 

problems/concerns” which may be challenging to capture quantifiably. Idea of tracking 

most serious concerns which may articulate the far-reaching consequences of those 

conflicts.

f. Working group for 2017 (internal/external) 1-2 pages on each type of Ombudsman 

illustrating illustrious cases that gives the picture of the worth. It’s not just cost savings 

but the loss of soul and retention. Mary Rowe, consider reaching out to Chi Team and 

MR can provide a draft for the first 1-2 pages about why and Ombudsman is beneficial. 

Circulate the document. See ACUS website for list of all federal ombudsman offices (see 

full report for details). 

3. 2017 COFO Annual Conference Update.

a. Still looking for volunteers to serve on the Conference Committee.

i. Pre-Conference: Leaders and supporting agencies are looking for info on the 

benefits of having an Ombudsman; 2-3 hours answering questions for that 

audience. ACUS may speak about their research. Panel discussion with senior 

executives/practicing Ombuds. 

ii. Conference: Feedback about how the conference was perceived by members 

and topics of interest. Going into 2017, we want to be responsive to the group’s 

needs. Any thoughts on topics, please share with the committee/Executive 

Committee. How much creativity would members give to the Executive 

Committee regarding topics? No comments from members. 

4. Position Openings and Ombuds News. N/A

5. Additional topics raised by Members (please include suggested topics or Ombuds Challenges 

with your RSVP).

a. Sharon (CFPB) – please respond to “what characteristics of your physical office space are 

in keeping with the Ombudsman tenets”. CFPB is procuring new office space and is 

looking for feedback on what’s working/ideas. 
Attendees: 

In-Person

Anderson, Jeffrey – Department of State

Asar, Sharon – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Barrar, Riley – Department of State

Bloch, Brian – Department of Interior

Little, Tim – Department of State

Maurer, William – Department of Energy

Qaasim, Kakeisla - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Sotoudeh, Paul - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Teixeira, Rachel – Department of State

Call-In

Abiy, Desta – Department of Health and Human Services

Berg, Mollie – Department of Homeland Security

Brady, Jen - Department of Homeland Security

Clayborn, Samuel – General Services Administration

Currier, Patricia – National Aerospace and Space Administration

Doyle, William - Department of Homeland Security

Epps, Ayanna – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Franklin, Rita – Department of Energy

Fox, Angela – Department of Agriculture

Gartlin, Jennifer – Federal Maritime Commission

Heffernan, Claire - Department of Homeland Security

Kamenshine, Wendy - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Kinnavy, Noreen – Food and Drug Administration

Larkins, Marcia – Department of Health and Human Services

Lee, Joy – National Credit Unions Administration

Leibman, Melissa – Department of Justice

Lenkel, Laurie – Department of Health and Human Services

Levine, Lisa – Department of Justice

Luckam, Stephanie - Department of Homeland Security

Manderson, Katie – Department of State

McGuire, Carrie – Office of Government Information Services

Milner, Heather - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Patel, Bina – National Ground Intelligence Center

Prout, Vanessa – United States International Development Agency

Raines, Eric – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Serrano, John –

Smith, Tyler - Department of Health and Human Services

Stukes, Jock – National Reconnaissance Organization

Roberts, Sara - Department of Homeland Security

Valdez, Roberta – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Weber, Guy – Department of Defense

Zeller, Mandy - Department of Health and Human Services