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COFO MONTHLY MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Date/Time: June 14, 2023, 1:30-2:50pm (EST)

Location: Video/telephone

Agenda: 

1. COFO Annual Conference

2. COFO website updates

3. USOA Annual Conference – September 13-15 in Atlanta

4. Ombuds Day 2023 – October 12

5. Voluntary Leave Transfer Initiative reminder

6. Next Ombuds Supporting Ombuds (OSO) meeting 6/28

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

happenings you'd like to tell the world about

8. 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

9. Discussion Topic

o At this year’s IOA Annual Conference, the “Undebate” on the future of our profession 

considered whether it’s time to rethink the core ombuds practice tenet of 

independence. Let’s discuss that idea at the June COFO membership meeting through a 

multi-model lens, considering all the ombuds practice models represented in our diverse 

membership. IOA Executive Director Ellen Miller will join us to explain the reasoning 

behind the Undebate topic and help us introduce the discussion. 

Highlights:

1. COFO Annual Conference 

o October 13 at USPTO, hybrid conference with in person option for first time since prepandemic. 

o Call for presentation proposals went out a few weeks ago. In person and virtual 

presentations both welcome.

2. COFO Website Updates

o Making updates to the website to bring back documents and meeting minutes that were 

kept on the website prior to migration to adr.gov. 

o If you see anything that looks missing, let us know. 

3. USOA Annual Conference 

o Being held in Atlanta.

o USOA is focused on external ombuds work and usually classical leaning.

4. Ombuds Day 2023 
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o October 13, the day after the COFO conference. 

o There is now an Ombuds Day toolkit with a logo that can be used for email signatures. 

o Theme for this year is, “Diverse in Role United in Service”

o Next step will be working on state proclamations, which will likely begin next month. 

5. Voluntary Leave Transfer Initiative reminder

o Connects ombuds who need leave with ombuds from around the federal government 

who have leave to donate. Helps to avoid awkward scenario where ombuds ask for or 

donate leave to others in their agency. 

o Contact COFO if you’ve qualified for leave transfer and would like to get leave from 

other ombuds. 

6. Next Ombuds Supporting Ombuds (OSO) Meeting – 6/28

o Scheduled for 2-3pm. 

o Safe space to discuss personal and professional topics that impact us. 

7. Announcements -Training opportunities, job openings, or really any office and ombudsman 

happenings you'd like to tell the world about

o None

8. 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 None

9. Discussion Topic: At this year’s IOA Annual Conference, the “Undebate” on the future of our 

profession considered whether it’s time to rethink the core ombuds practice tenet of 

independence. Let’s discuss that idea at the June COFO membership meeting through a multimodel lens, considering all the ombuds practice models represented in our diverse membership. 

IOA Executive Director Ellen Miller will join us to explain the reasoning behind the Undebate 

topic and help us introduce the discussion.

o Not need to panic, IOA not considering removing independence from the Standards.

Goal was to focus on the importance of it and consider what might need to change to 

make it as impactful as it can be. 

o When independence was conceptualized as a Standard, there was no DEIA or other 

programs/offices that create potentially sensitive issues for ombuds independence. 

o Independence is often misunderstood, so the goal is to make sure it is understood and 

how it can be achieved. 

o Someone mentioned how, at least in the government, independence is aspirational if 

you don’t have things like your own budget.

o An external ombuds mentioned that their independence has been challenged by 

external stakeholders asking questions like, “who pays you?”

o Another external else says power of independence is the ability for the ombuds to say or 

do whatever they need to in a particular moment in time. 

o In response to a question about whether there is anything else that could take the place 

of independence and still give ombuds access that is needed and maintain ability to 

practice other Standards, an internal said no. 

o Another external mentioned that it is critical to what they do, as mentioned before, in 

deciding what they do and don’t take on. Also, the way they approach independence is 

they are independent to the max, and if someone ever questioned it because of being 

paid by federal government, they then explain all of the ways they are independent. 

Also mentioned that if ombuds ever struggle to effectively explain and have senior 

leadership in their agencies accept and respect independence, the answer can’t be to 
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get rid of it, the ombuds instead needs to continue educating and conducting outreach 

so that more and more people do understand, accept, and respect it. 

o Someone wrote in chat, “Thank you for this conversation. Independence is so 

important, which is why terms of reference and charters are so appropriate. For 

example, what does an ombuds do when a higher level, non-ombuds higher level 

manager, shows up to a case review? It seems like an excellent opportunity for use to 

educate and definitely stop any discussions about cases. The only time perhaps it's an 

unhelpful crutch is when there is a lack of integrity about catching trends and doing 

deep thinking about potential root cause issues and how to message.”

o Someone else mentioned, to the concern about how can you be independent when paid 

by your organization, they raised that using the language that the ombuds “has been

designatedby the organization,” as in a designated impartial, a designated confidential, 

a designated independent, etc. 

• Someone else said their concern with designation is that something the agency 

has designated can be taken away, and also makes it appear the power is 

coming from the organization. 

▪ Someone else weighed in on this that especially in the government 

when political appointees change every few years, and so consistency in 

reporting is critical through administration changes. If reporting to 

political, you need to start from scratch and education on the role, why 

you are set up the way you are, what the value of you being the “skunk 

in the room” at times might be. 

• Someone else mentioned that if the goal of using the term designation is to 

make it appear that the ombuds is not putting themselves on a pedestal and/or 

didn’t create this high power for themselves, just refer to ADRA or IOA or other 

resources that talk about ombuds and Standards. 

o Someone mentioned that all four principles interact in a way that is hard to explain but 

essential. The previous ombuds at this person’s university worked exclusively with 

students and reported to the dean of student life, and this ombuds themselves used to 

work somewhere where they reported to the Director of HR and they felt that was fine 

because less important is who they report to but how they do their work.

o Someone else respectfully disagreed, that who you report to and how you do your work 

are both important. This person reports to the Deputy Director and also has access to 

the Director to remove the office from the politics. 

o Someone in the chat mentioned, “The sad/challenging thing is that our ability to actually 

be independent depends so much on individual organizational circumstances (and 

people). Simply being an ombuds is not enough to establish it in practice.”

o Someone else mentioned that while there is value in being removed from politics and 

therefore not reporting to a political, being much lower is not good either. There is 

equal value in being as high as you can be.

o Someone asked if it made a difference whether it was an ombuds program or office. 

• Someone answered that office is ideal.

o Someone else shared that even though they are in high level executive meetings, people 

aren’t concerned by that because of how many times they have repeated independence 

and the other Standards. Leadership also eventually understands you aren’t there to 

participate as “one of them” but instead identifies you are there to stay in the loop and 

continue adding value with needed organizational awareness. 
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Attendees:

Last First Agency Call-In

Behr Virginia FDA

Berg Mollie NGA 1

Bloch Brian DOI 1

Bookstein Monique Prince William County Public Schools 1

Braden Lara DeCA 1

Chavez Rudolph Mary DOI 1

Chen Sonja DOE Intern 1

Coffman Cherina NGA 1

Danabar Sheila DHS 1

Davenport Nathelia FEMA ADR Advisor 1

Davidson Kimberly George Mason 1

Enriquez Elisa Los Alamos National Laboratory 1

Footman Aaron USPTO 1

Fox Angela FDA 1

Ginn Brad Argonne National Laboratory 1

Gnatt Sheldon NSA 1

Green-Smalls Monica NSA 1

Harley Jasmine National Credit Union Administration 1

Heffernan Claire TSA 1

Hendrickson Caitlan FEMA 1

Hurley Nathan FDA/Center for Tobacco Products 1

Jioia-Jones Tyswana MRP-APHIS 1

Johnson Bradley 1

Kamenshine Wendy CFPB 1

Katherine Erica FDA 1

Kinnavy Noreen USAGM 1

Lawrence Steven DHS I&A 1

Lelar Taylor VA 1

Lenkel Laurie FDA 1

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

Manderson Katie VA 1

Merrix Celeste FLETC 1
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Milner Heather CFPB 1

Maurer Bill Census 1

Megee Christine DOD 1

Michael David NIH 1

Miller Carla DOJ/ATF 1

Miller Ellen IOA 1

Miller Sander Dawn Red Cross 1

Morey Chauntanette FBI 1

Nelson Annika EPA 1

Patel Bina USPTO 1

Patno Ariel FDA 1

Piziali Jamie EPA 1

Porch Susanne Commerce/National Institute of Standards and Technology 

(NIST) 1

Robinson Belinda FBI 1

Rowe Mary MIT 1

Sanglier Elizabeth TSA 1

Schauer Greta DHS 1

Skodocek Ken FDA 1

Smith Julie Census Bureau 1

Smith Tyler NIH 1

Sotoudeh Paul USPTO 1

Steinberg Michael Columbia University 1

Stergio Marcus Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs/DOL 1

Villafane Jacqueline American Red Cross 1

Vissing Yvonne Salem State Univeristy 1

Voloshin Victor NIH 1

Weber Guy NGA 1

Whittington Frederick DOL 1

Younger Banks Tiffany SBA 1

Total 61