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MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Date/Time: August 14, 2019 1:30pm – 3:00pm (EST)

Location: Phone Only

Agenda:

1. COFO Annual Conference Update

2. COFO Monthly Meeting

3. COFO Mentoring Committee

4. COFO Election Committee

5. COFO Mailing List & Google Group

6. Ombuds Day Reminder

7. Discussion Topics:

a. Responding to all submissions – do your offices respond to every submission you 

received or only the ones concerning your area of focus? How do you triage or handle 

submissions outside the scope of your mission?

b. Mentoring and independence – Do you (or would you) mentor people, whether formally 

or informally, in your agencies who aren’t ombuds?

c. 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!

8. Announcements 

Highlights:

1. COFO Annual Conference Update

a. Conference date: 18 October 2019 @ USPTO. The conference committee continues to 

meet every other Wednesday @ 3PM EST. Currently the team is discussing potential 

topics and speakers. If you are interested in participating as a volunteer, please email 

Paul Sotoudeh: Paul.Sotoudeh@USPTO.gov

b. The conference is a unique opportunity to network, share best practices and gain new 

insights into our field. We have insightful speakers lined up this year. More to come. 

2. COFO Monthly Meeting 

a. No monthly meeting in October. We will meet in person at the conference, which will 

serve as our monthly meeting. We are seeking a physical location for November and 

beyond. If you have a suggestion, please email Paul Sotoudeh: 

Paul.Sotoudeh@USPTO.gov

3. COFO Mentoring Committee
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a. The mentoring program began in 2019 with 24 ombuds actively participating. We are 

currently working on putting together the 2020 cohort. An email announcement is 

expected to be published in October. If you are interested in being a mentor or mentee, 

please contact COFOMentoring@nih.gov

4. COFO Election Committee

a. Elections for the Executive Committee are coming up in February 2020. It is a great to 

start thinking about running or helping by serving on the election committee. The latter 

entails logistical help with gathering the nominations. If you are interested in 

participating as a volunteer, please email Paul Sotoudeh: Paul.Sotoudeh@USPTO.gov 

5. Ombuds Day Reminder

a. Ombuds day is coming up in October. Registration information with access to links is 

available on the ABA website. For more information, please contact Ken Skodacek: 

Ken.Skodacek@fda.hhs.gov

b. Ombuds Day is a great opportunity to connect with ombudsman in the federal 

government and network with colleagues to share best practices. This year, the 

committee will host three events, including the first one with Chuck Howard, Executive 

Director, IOA, as the key note speaker. Additional events will be held in Chicago, IL and 

Boulder, CO. 

6. Discussion Topics

a. Responding to all submissions – do your offices respond to every submission you 

received or only the ones concerning your area of focus? How do you triage or handle 

submissions outside the scope of your mission?

i. Participants’ eagerlyprovided their responses with the expertise of their current 

role. External facing ombudsman for instance, shed light on their role as triaging 

questions and inquiries of external applicants to the appropriate channels, while 

not serving as a resource. Their relationship with internal groups is vital to the 

success of assisting public inquiries. For example, should an inquiry arise 

regarding a whistleblower call, the call is triaged to the compliance team. A high 

quality of customer service is necessary to assist external inquiries. 

b. Mentoring and independence – Do you (or would you) mentor people, whether formally 

or informally, in your agencies who aren’t ombuds?

i. Participants actively provided their thoughts on mentorship and coaching 

opportunities for individuals who want to progress their skills in conflict 

resolution as an opportunity. There was a mutual understanding to not allow 

non-ombudsman individuals to directly train or obtain new skills through a 

hands on approach as this may violate the ombudsman rules on independence 

and confidentiality. Some participants mentioned when providing coaching or 

mentorship opportunities to non-ombuds professionals, non-disclosure 

agreements were signed. Other participants mentioned that taking on detailees 

brings forward concerns of perception with breaching ombuds regulations, 

possibly accessing confidential records, and detailees reporting to management 

outside the ombuds unit. On a final note, an individual who has no experience in 

the ombuds function can successfully complete a detail in the ombuds office 

with a shared understanding of boundaries and the role.
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c. 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. An inquiry was made on how to handle a request of visitors can see the 

ombudsman anonymously so the boss does not verify the visit. We have tabled 

this inquiry to next month’s meeting due to lack of time. 

7. Announcements 

a. None
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Attendees

Balick Howard FDA CBER

Behr Virginia FDA CDER

Berg Mollie NGA

Deyo Scott Dept of Energy

Doyle Bill US Secret Service

Epps Ayanna FDIC Internal

Fox Angela USDA ADR

Gnatt Sheldon NSA

Harris Robert FDIC Internal

Heffernan Claire TSA

Hill Gary NGA

Katherine Erica FDA ORA

Kinnavy Noreen US Agency for Global Media

Lemelin Christa NARA OGIS

Lenkel Laurie FDA Commissioner’s Office

McNeil Tracey SEC

Merrix Celeste FLETC

Michael David NIH

Mitchell Kirsten NARA OGIS

Morey Chauncenette FBI

Patel Bina NGIC

Roman Rafael NOAA Acquisitions and Grants

Shinn Bob USDA Forest Service

Skodacek Ken FDA CDRH

Sotoudeh Paul USPTO

Vermillion Chris TSA

Weber Guy NGA

Wolfe Lexi TSA

Yuille Deanna FDA

Zeller Jessica FDA ORA