MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Date/Time: May 10, 2017 1:30pm – 3:00pm

Location: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1275 First Street NE Washington, DC 20002

Agenda:

1. COFO Standards Update: Discussion of the Three Core Standards (Independence, Confidentiality, 

and Impartiality) and the Three Common Characteristics (Informality, Commitment to Fairness, 

and Credible Process).

2. Conference Update: Quick update on the annual COFO Conference.

3. Reflections on IOA Conference: Do you have any key takeaways, please share your experience 

with the group.

4. Customer Service and Unconscious Bias Training: Has your organization provided training in 

these areas? What was the experience? Any recommendations to an organization looking to 

provide this type of training?

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

with your RSVP)

Highlights:

1. COFO Standards Update: Discussion of the Three Core Standards (Independence, Confidentiality, 

and Impartiality) and the Three Common Characteristics (Informality, Commitment to Fairness, 

and Credible Process).

 Paul sent to the committee on 5/10 for review and comment

 Invitation to provide questions/comments 

2. Conference Update: Quick update on the annual COFO Conference.

 Save the date will be sent soon and registration will open in June, 2017.

 This is a FREE conference! October 

 Please send your “must haves” or “must keeps” to the Executive Committee. 

3. Reflections on IOA Conference: Do you have any key takeaways, please share your experience 

with the group.

 Gary (NGA) – First IOA conference, summary of his first impressions. 

 Lisa (DOJ) – Usefulness of the self-care session. The A-Z Self Care Handbook, Mindy Eave.
 Wendy (CFPB) - Two observations 1) helpful to understand the broad application/spectrum 

of the Ombudsman profession and application in the university setting. 2) importance of the 

different Ombuds groups working together (USOA, IOA, ABA).

 Riley – acknowledgement of the federal Ombuds for speaking at IOA. Some new board 

members at IOA. New Government and Policy committee. 

4. Customer Service and Unconscious Bias Training: Has your organization provided training in 

these areas? What was the experience? Any recommendations to an organization looking to 

provide this type of training?

 Guy (NGA) – has experience working with a group on this type of training; good training but 

difficult to sustain. Lessons learned would be to 1) pilot the training first to ensure audience 

appropriateness and 2) build in a follow-up. See Guy for more info about who he’s used. 

 Andrea (USPTO) - As a trainer, be sure to make the training interactive.

 DOS – having participated in multiple ABA Unconscious Bias training sessions, the one that 

focused on group work and strategies was much more interesting. Email Jeff for training 

material. 

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

with your RSVP).

a. In a brief discussion of ways to encourage implementation of the ACUS 

recommendation on federal agency use of ombuds, David Pritzker, the ACUS 

staff member responsible for their ombuds project, reported that the 

recommendation was sent in January to the heads of federal agencies, with a 

copy to those ACUS members representing federal agencies. A list of 

government members of ACUS is available at 

https://www.acus.gov/directory/government-member. Several additional 

members are included among the “liaison representatives” at 

https://www.acus.gov/directory/liaison-representative. David also said that if 

COFO members need any further information about ACUS, the recommendation, 

or any agency’s ACUS member, please contact him at dpritzker@acus.gov.
Attendees:

In-Person

Anderson, Jeffrey – Department of State

Barrar, Riley – Customer Financial Protection Bureau

Donnelly, Wanda – Department of State

Kamenshine, Wendy - Customer Financial Protection Bureau

Levine, Lisa – Department of Justice

McNeil, Tracey – U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Maurer, Bill – Department of Energy

Prtizker, David – Administrative Conference of the United States

Sotoudeh, Paul – U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Thomoson, Patricia – Ombudsman Program Office for Children and Youth Dept. of Behavioral Health

Phone

Berg, Mollie – Department of Homeland Security

Bloch, Brian – Department of the Interior

Brown, Andrea - U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Callahan, Rita – Department of Health and Human Services

Claybom, Samuel – General Services Administration

Dodson, Shireen – Department of State

Fleming, Tasha – Department of Justice

Gartlan, Jennifer – Federal Maritime Commission

Harris, Robert – Federal Deposit Insurance Commission

Johnson, Fatima – National Aerospace and Space Administration

Kapoor, Vic – Department of Homeland Security

King, Donna – Department of Health and Human Services

Kith, Sarah – Library of Congress

Larkins, Marcia - Department of Health and Human Services

Major, Katie – Department of Defense

Maderson, Katie – Department of State

McGuire, Carrie – Office of Government Information Services

Mitchell, Kristen - Office of Government Information Services

Roman, Michael – National Ocean and Atmospheric Agency

Merrix, Celeste – Department of Homeland Security

Patel, Bina –NGIC

Roberts, Sara – Department of Homeland Security

Weber, Guy – Department of Defense

King, Donna - Department of Health and Human Services

Zeller, Jessica – Health and Human Services