October 21, 2024

COFO Announces 2024 Conference Lineup

The Coalition of Federal Ombuds has announced its primary plenary speakers for its Annual Conference this Friday October 25th, and the conference day has been approved for 5.0 PDH. Registration is now open for the conference, which will be held for both in-person and virtual attendees from 9 AM – 5 PM Eastern time. The in-person portion of the conference will be held at the Clara Barton Auditorium at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, VA. Registration is free. A full agenda will be posted shortly here.
Conference presenters are slated to include: 
  • Martha Patrick, CO-OP, University Ombudsperson at the University of Massachusetts Boston – “How are we doing?: Using the VXSA Audit to improve our visitors’ experience and operational integrity” 
  • Nina Chambers, Digital Communications Specialist, Greg Edens, Public Engagement Specialist, and Allison Posner, Director of External Relations, all at the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman – “Marketing Your Ombuds Office” 
  • Laurel Gordon, Deputy Ombuds at the U.S. Marshals Service – “The Secret of the Controlled Burn: Suffering in Conflict” 
  • Tim Hedeen, Professor of Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University – “Insights and Implications on Government-sector Ombuds from IOA’s 2024 Practice Survey” 
  • Sarah Kith, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor at the Library of Congress – “The Intersection of Inclusive Leadership and Ombuds: Strengthening Systems” 
  • Mary Chavez Rudolph, Organizational Ombuds, and Sigal Shoham, Organizational Ombuds, both at the Department of the Interior – “Recovering from Harassment Investigations – How Organizations and Ombuds can Support Repair” 

1 comment:

  1. Interesting... I imagine the coordinators didn't realize that a) 10/25/24 is a Jewish holiday and b) the holiday marks the anniversary (in the Jewish calendar) of the October 7th massacre. It will be a very sensitive day for many in the Jewish world.

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