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MEETING MINUTES 

Meeting Date/Time:  July 11, 2018, 1:30pm – 3:00pm 

Location:  USDA, 1400 Independence Ave, SW, 1st Floor, Room 1052(c) and Dial‐in 

Agenda: 

1. Update on COFO Listserv Issues 

2. COFO Conference Update 

3. Mentoring Committee Update 

4. USOA Conference/Federal Practice Sector 

5. NARA Records Schedule Discussions Update 

6. ABA Ombudsman Committee Update 

7. Announcements  

8. Discussion Topic: Keeping Above the Fray  

Highlights: 

1. Update on COFO Listserv Issues 

a. Functional issues with the COFO Listserv are worsening; the Executive Committee is 

working with the Department of Education to resolve. 

b. Presently the Executive Committee is employing a workaround that involves simple 

distribution list for COFO members. 

c. RSVPs to COFO monthly meetings should include full participant information to ensure 

that the distribution list is complete. 

d. If you are not getting COFO emails, or if you need any assistance sending something to 

the COFO membership, please reach out to Paul Sotoudeh, Heather Milner, or Tyler 

Smith. 

2. COFO Conference Update 

a. The 2018 COFO conference will be held on Friday, October 12. On July 3rd the 

Conference Committee met to discuss logistics and content. 

b. A survey will be sent out with a save‐the‐date and registration survey to solicit ideas 

about topics. In addition, a webcast link is being explored. 

c. If you have any questions, or may be available to assist in logistics on the conference 

day, please reach out to Bina Patel or Tyler Smith. 

3. Mentoring Committee Update – Congrats to the Selected Members! 

a. Congratulations to the members selected for the mentoring committee: Virginia Behr, 

Felicia Bunns, Laurel Gordon, Wendy Kamenshine, and David Michael. 
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b. The membership will serve for two years and are presently at work selecting a chair/co‐

chair; the COFO Executive Committee will identify an ex officio member to maintain 

communication with the Mentorship Committee. 

c. Applications will subsequently be solicited from prospective mentors and mentees and 

assignments will be made in the near term. Thanks to all for the continued interest. 

4. USOA Conference/Federal Practice Sector 

a. The USOA annual meeting will be held in Portland, OR on September 26‐28, 2018. The 

Federal Practice Sector will hold its chapter meeting on September 26 from 3:15 – 

5:00pm. 

b. Tangita Daramola is the acting Chair of the Federal Practice Sector and is working to 

infuse new life into the chapter. She and Yolanda Swift are conducting interviews and 

soliciting ideas for panel engagements. 

c. In addition, the discussion will follow up on the “Tools in Times of Change” topic 

discussed at the Government Sector Meeting at IOA 2018. 

d. It is the opinion of past participants that, while USOA is focused on external ombuds, 

the conference is also useful for internal Ombuds. 

5. NARA Records Schedule Discussions Update 

a. Thank you to the Department of Energy for its work in pulling together a compendium 

of existing records schedules. 

b. Please let us know if there are any missing schedules from the following list: CFPB, CIS 

Ombudsman, Energy (2, one each for the program and database), EPA, NGA, NSA, OPM, 

and proposed schedules actively going through the NARA process (TSA and USPTO). 

6. ABA Ombudsman Committee Report 

a. The ABA Dispute Resolution Section is coordinating activities for Ombuds Day, to be 

held Thursday, October 11. 

i. There will be an evening reception at ABA’s Washington, DC offices; this event 

will include a speaker TBD and a World Café‐style engagement focused on 

learning about the different types of Ombuds. 

ii. Volunteers are solicited for a variety of activities, including representing a type 

of Ombuds, coordinating logistics, and bringing colleagues to learn more about 

Ombuds. 

iii. In addition, volunteers are pulling together a toolkit with useful information on 

Ombuds and a branding logo for Ombuds Day that can be used for on‐site 

observations. 

iv. Please contact Lauren Marx or Wendy Kamenshine to volunteer or to ask any 

questions. 

b. The September issue of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section’s newsletter (Just 

Resolutions) will focus on Ombuds programs. 

c. The Section is also working on a Model Ombuds Act focused on internal ombuds, which 

could be used to establish Ombuds in academia, corporate, and federal spaces. 
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7. Announcements 

a. Department of Energy Associate Ombudsman – DOE Associate Ombudsman Patrick 

Holman announced that he will be leaving the DOE at the end of July. It is anticipated 

that the Department will post this position in the very near future at the GS‐14/15 level. 

b. NIH Scientist Ombuds Fellowship – In the next 2‐3 weeks, NIH will announce the 

availability of a fellowship focused on apprenticing post‐graduate scientists into the 

Ombuds profession. This will be a term‐limited fellowship at the GS‐11 level. 

8. Discussion Topic: Keeping Above the Fray 

a. Continuing from the 2018 IOA Government Sector Networking session, COFO monthly 

meetings will periodically examine topics associated with the “Tools in Times of Change” 

theme. 

b. The goal is to share lessons learned and also offer a forum for asking questions of fellow 

Ombuds. 

c. This week, the topic was on Keeping Above the Fray, which focused on how we can 

avoid getting mired in agency culture, take care of ourselves, and continue to be the 

best ombuds for our visitors. 

d. The discussion touched on many areas, including – 

i. How Ombuds helps new leadership and staff understand agency culture as a 

driver for organizational behaviors, providing useful context from an 

independent and neutral resource. 

ii. How Ombuds market their program through proactive outreach to leadership, 

management, and staff, reminding organizational members that “we’re your 

Ombuds team – we’re here to help”. 

iii. How Ombuds act as “canaries in the coal mine”, seeing struggles in real time 

and identifying systemic issues and how the culture pushes and pulls behavior in 

specific ways, and working with senior leaders to bridge their gaps in 

understanding. 

iv. How Ombuds strive to understand their own circumstances, including the need 

to match service delivery to available resources, and to think strategically about 

how programs may best serve as mission enablers in specific organizational 

contexts. 

v. How Ombuds may constructively engage with too‐hot‐to‐handle issues that 

organizations may not be willing or capable of recognizing or addressing. In 

those times, Ombuds may work to capture/preserve these issues, their 

contexts, and potential drivers for the future in order to help us focus on where 

we can make a difference today ‐ similar to the efforts of monks in the Middle 

Ages.    

   
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Attendees: 

In‐Person 

Sean Colligan, Department of Energy 

Gary Hill, Department of Defense 

Patrick Holman, Department of Energy 

Noreen Kinnavy, International Broadcasting Bureau 

Bill Maurer, Department of Energy 

Paul Sotoudeh, US Patent and Trademark Office 

Robert Webb, Armed Forces Retirement Home 

Lexi Wolfe, Department of Homeland Security 

Call‐In 

Howard Balick, Department of Health and Human Services 

Michael Barrera, Small Business Administration 

Dawn Bedlivy, National Security Agency 

Virginia Behr, Department of Health and Human Services 

Tangita  Daramola, Department of Health and Human Services 

Kimberley Day‐Lewis, Department of Homeland Security 

Ayanna Epps, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Brenna  Fisher, NARA 

Angela Fox, United States Department of Agriculture 

Laurel Gordon, Department of Justice 

Claire Heffernan, Department of Homeland Security 

Erica Katherine, Food and Drug Administration   

Wendy Kamenshine, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Natalie Landau, Department of State 

Marcia Larkins, Department of Health and Human Services 

Laurie Lenkel, Department of Health and Human Services 

Stephanie Luckam, Department of Homeland Security 

Sarah Majdiak, Community Relations Service 

Lauren Marx, Chi Associates 

Carrie McGuire, Office of Government Information Services 

Celeste  Merrix, Department of Homeland Security 

David Michael, Department of Health and Human Services 

Heather Milner, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Kirsten Mitchell, Office of Government Information Services 

Bina Patel, NGIC 

Eric Raines, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Rafael Roman, National Ocean and Atmospheric Agency 

Mary Rowe, Chi Associates 

Alina Semo, National Archives and Records Administration 

Tyler Smith, Department of Health and Human Services 

Jock Stukes, National Reconnaissance Organization 

Benita Swann, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Roberta Valdez, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Don Walker, Department of Defense 
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Guy Weber, Department of Defense 

Karen White, National Guard Bureau 

Rea Wynder, Department of Homeland Security