May 02, 2012

Coalition of Federal Ombuds Begins Plans for 2012 Conference

CoFO has posted the minutes from its meetings in March and April 2012.  The group is planning its annual conference to be held in early November, although a date has not been set. Organizers are soliciting ideas for topics and speakers (including a keynote) and working on a venue. As usual, the minutes offer a wide range of insights on the activities of Ombuds at federal agencies.


At the March meeting...

  • The group elected new officers: Chair, Wendy Kamenshine; Co-Chair, Scott Deyo; Co-Secretaries, Virginia Behr and Noreen Kinnavy; and Co-Coordinators, Neal Cohen and Craig Cabrera
  • Attendees discussed visitors who don’t want to deal with their assigned Ombuds; 
  • Yvonne Hinkson gave an overview of her work as the Ombudsman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons; 
  • Attendees discussed what constitutes a 'case' for statistical tracking of inquiries; and 
  • Attendees discussed the benefits/challenges of teleworking as an Ombuds.

At the April meeting...
  • Scott Deyo gave an overview of his work as the Ombuds for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; 
  • Attendees discussed how to respond to an imminent risk of serious harm; 
  • Barbara Malebranche uppdated the work of the Standing Up an Ombuds Office Committee; and 
  • Attendees discussed what happens to a one-person office when the Ombuds goes on vacation. 

No comments:

Post a Comment