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COFO MONTHLY MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Date/Time: May 11, 2022, 1:35-3:00 pm (EST)

Location: Video/telephone

Agenda: 

1. COFO 2022 Annual Conference – Friday October 14th – committee volunteers needed!

2. COFO Website status

3. USOA Federal Government Chapter update

4. Ombuds Day 2022 is October 13th 

5. Peer Practitioner Network update 

6. Voluntary Leave Transfer Initiative reminder

7. Next Ombuds Supporting Ombuds (OSO) meeting 5/25/22

8. Announcements – Training opportunities, job openings, or really any office and ombudsman 

happenings you'd like to tell the world about

9. General Questions - Space for new and emerging practitioners and programs to ask questions 

and get feedback from the COFO community in a short discussion format

o Question and poll concerning remote work vs. telework at your agencies. How 

widespread has remote work become at your agencies in light of return to work?

o Your question here!

10. Discussion Topic

o IOA recently changed its name from “International Ombudsman Association” to 

“International Ombuds Association”. Is it time for COFO to do the same? There is 

longstanding debate in our community over whether our profession should move to a 

name like “ombuds” or “ombudsperson” that reads more inclusively, even as there is 

debate within the debate over whether or not the word “ombudsman” and its root 

might themselves be gender-neutral. Furthermore, as federal ombuds, we face the 

additional concern that many of our enabling statutes, charters, and policies reference 

“ombudsman” and name changes could create confusion for leaders, stakeholders, and 

a wider world that is already generally unaware of what we are. So what should be 

next? Let’s respectfully discuss it.

o Your topic here!

Highlights:

1. 2022 Annual Conference Reminder/Call for Volunteers

o Reminder that conference is to be held on Friday October 14th potentially both virtual 

and in-person.

o Set up a conference committee every year, and this is the first call for volunteers to 

serve on that conference committee. Commitment is about 1-2 hours per month, 

slightly more once closer to conference. Let us know if interested in joining committee.
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2. COFO Website Update

o Have a new home, website will be on adr.gov sometime in the near future. 

o Should have ability to edit and manage the site’s pages ourselves, allowing us to bring 

more information to members. 

3. USOA Government Chapter Update

o Chairs of that committee announced next meeting will be Wednesday, May 18 from 

1pm to 2:30pm ET. Topics of discussion will be upcoming USOA conference, DEI 

initiatives going on within USOA, upcoming chapter elections, followed by interactive 

seminar on having difficult conversations.

o Meeting is open to all USOA members and non-members.

4. Ombuds Day Reminder

o Scheduled for October 13. Graphics and slogan are done.

o Ombudsday.com, more information available including an Ombuds Day email signature 

available for download and use. 

5. Peer Practitioner Network (PPN) Update

o PPN approved by Executive Committee as a permanent COFO program. 

o Fills a space alongside Mentoring Program to further support ombuds. Any questions 

about the program, reach out to Susanne Porch or Jason Baker.

6. Voluntary Leave Transfer Initiative Reminder

o For those approved by agency to enter voluntary leave transfer program but do not

want to ask those within agency for leave donations, this program connects ombuds 

who are in need of and others who are able to donate leave. Contact Paul Sotoudeh, 

Heather Milner, Wendy Kamenshine or Susanne Porch with questions. 

7. Ombuds Supporting Ombuds Meeting

o Next meeting is Wednesday, May 25. Intended to be a space for ombuds to discuss 

stresses in their lives and challenges they are facing outside of ombuds practices.

o If there are topics people know they would like to discuss in advance, send those to 

Heather Milner so that she can prep in advance.

8. Announcements

o CFPB will be posting for an Associate Ombuds in the near future.

o Extending timeframe to express interest in an Acting Associate Ombuds position. 

o Reach out to Heather Milner or Wendy Kamenshine if questions about either position. 

o IOA 2023 conference will be held in Seattle. The planning will begin soon, so if people 

want to join the Conference Committee reach out to Katie Manderson. 

9. General Question submitted in advance: How widespread has remote work (when official duty 

station is outside 50-mile radius of office) become at your agencies in light of return to work?

o Poll question results:

• Question 1, “Does your agency offer remote working (as opposed to only 

teleworking)?” 

• Yes – 34/55 (62%)

• No – 5/55 (9%)

• No Answer – 16/55 (29%)

• Question 2, “If yes, can you estimate the percentage of the workforce qualifying 

to participate in remote work?”

• 25% or less – 22/55 (40%)

• 25-50% - 6/55 (11%)

• 50-75% - 1/55 (2%)

• More than 75% - 4/55 (7%)
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o People shared what their ombuds offices have recently seen re: remote vs. telework:

• People have tried to pull off “remote telework” whereby they keep their same 

official duty station for the purposes of maintaining higher locality pay, but full 

time telework from random locations.

• What some agencies are doing is requiring two in-person days per pay period.

Some employees are therefore traveling to duty station for the second 

Thursday-Friday of a pay period, and the first Monday-Tuesday of the next pay 

period, then working remotely for the remainder of the two pay periods. 

• Telework decisions are handled at the immediate supervisor level. Remote 

status determinations are made at the SES level.

• People have been working remotely (far outside their duty station) for years, 

just wasn’t an opportunity available to everyone. Another issue heard of are 

middle managers never reporting to office, but their direct reports are. 

10. Discussion Topic

o IOA recently changed its name from “International Ombudsman Association” to 

“International Ombuds Association.” Is it time for COFO to do the same? There is 

longstanding debate in our community over whether our profession should move to a 

name like “ombuds” or “ombudsperson” that reads more inclusively, even as there is 

debate within the debate over whether or not the word “ombudsman” and its root 

might themselves be gender neutral. Furthermore, as federal ombuds, we face the 

additional concern that many of our enabling statutes, charters, and policies reference 

“ombudsman” and name changes could create confusion for leaders, stakeholders, and 

a wider world that is already generally unaware of what we are. So what should be 

next? Let’s respectfully discuss it.

• Many felt that in keeping up with the times, the name change should happen. 

• Most in the chat liked suggestion to be more gender neutral.

• Someone shared she cringes when people call her ombudswoman, others agree.

• Another person shared that people are awkward when calling her ombudsman.

• A lot of people in chat seem to believe Ombuds solves the issue. 

• Gender neutral in Swedish or not, the word Ombudsman creates a stereotype, 

so from a perception standpoint it should just be Ombuds.

• Singular or plural? Most seem to agree Ombuds can be singular or plural, 

whereas Ombudsman is often times perceived to be singular and Ombudsmen 

plural even though ombuds themselves rarely use the word Ombudsmen. 

• Seemingly a lot of support for changing COFO to be Coalition of Federal 

Ombuds.

• Some historical context -- the word 'ombudsman' is derived from the Old Norse 

word 'umboðsmaður', meaning representative. The umboðsmaður first 

appeared during the Viking Age, 793-1066. Vikings lived in longhouses of 30-50 

residents; approximately 90% of Vikings were farmers. The umboðsmaður's role 

was to help settle disputes among the inhabitants and their trading partners to 

help preserve good relationships.

• Scandinavians would use ombud, not ombuds. Others suggest that the 

root of Ombudsman (meaning representative) would have an “s” on it. 

• Someone else shared that suffix maður is male stereotyped. 

• Something to consider, IOA change was difficult given international 

membership, many international ombuds refer to themselves as Ombudsman. 
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• Someone suggested IOA has had many unhappy members for the past few 

years, so are we considering a change to COFO because we feel strongly about it 

or because IOA did it. Also asked, “what does this mean for our relationship with 

USOA?” Then shared that ombuds feels too informal. Others struggled with that 

idea and actually think informal is a good thing. 

• The same way the word “their” can be awkward but more importantly 

diminishes gendering, ombud or ombuds is supported. 

• Another issue is how much time we spend explaining the meaning of the word 

when we could be using that time for something else. Proposal to go with 

something that is well received and most comprehensible for others. 

• Suggestion for a vote among COFO membership, change name or no.

Attendees:

Last First Agency CallIn

Baker Jason NIH 1

Behr Virginia FDA 1

Berg Mollie NGA 1

Bloch Brian DOI 1

Bookstein Monique Prince William County Public Schools 1

Coffman Cherina NGA 1

Coleman Jean SBA 1

Danabar Sheila TSA 1

Donnelly Wanda State 1

Enriquez Elisa Los Alamos Laboratory (DOE) 1

Garmon Felisa CFPB 1

Ginn Bradley Argonne National Laboratory 1

Gnatt Sheldon NSA 1

Gordon Laurel DOJ / U. S. Marshals Service (USMS) 1

Green Veronica State OIG 1

Hartman Jessie NARA/ Office of Government Information Services 

(OGIS) 1

Heffernan Claire TSA 1

Hobson Shirley VA 1

Hopkins Emilee NGA 1

Hurley Nathan FDA / Center for Tobacco Products 1

Jarrett Syreeta DIA 1

Jioia-Jones Tyswana USDA 1
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Kamenshine Wendy CFPB 1

Katherine Erica FDA 1

Kinnavy Noreen USAGM 1

Lawrence Steve DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis 1

Lenkel Laurie FDA 1

Levenson Dan NARA 1

Levine Lisa DOJ / Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) 1

Lewis Mark FDA 1

Manderson Katie VA 1

Manzines Rosamaria Prince William County Public Schools 1

Maurer Bill Census 1

McCoy Barbara HHS / CMS 1

Megee Christine DOD Education Activity 1

Messick Daniel FDIC 1

Miller Carla DOJ / ATF 1

Miller Sander Dawn Red Cross 1

Milner Heather CFPB 1

Monyei 

Whaley Allison DOD OIG 1

Morey Chauncenette FBI 1

Patno Arielle FDA / Center for Tobacco Products 1

Peterson Dr. Dana NSA 1

Piziali Jamie EPA 1

Porch Susanne Commerce / National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) 1

Reed Janay DOD / DIA 1

Robinson Belinda FBI 1

Rojas Nick DOD / DIA 1

Rowe Mary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1

Sanglier Elizabeth TSA 1

Schauer Greta TSA 1

Schwartz Dave UNLV 1

Semo Alina NARA 1

Skodacek Ken FDA 1

Smith Julie Census 1
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Smith Tony Census 1

Smith Tyler NIH 1

Sotoudeh Paul USPTO 1

Stergio Marcus Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs/DOL 1

Swann Benita FDIC 1

Taylor Lelar VA 1

Thomson Ronnie Sandia National Laboratories 1

Vermillion Chris DOE 1

Villafane Jacqueline American Red Cross 1

Voloshin Victor NIH 1

Walker Olivia DOD / Army Medical Readiness Assistance Program 1

Weber Guy DOD / NGA 1

Whittington Fred (Whitt) DOL OIG 1

Wolfe Lexi DOE 1

Yuille 

Banford Deanna DOD / Defense Human Resources Activity 1

Total 70