By Paul Sotoudeh, Chief Ombudsman, USPTO Office of the Ombudsman
The Coalition of Federal Ombudsman (COFO) is pleased to announce its 2021 Annual Conference, being held virtually on October 15, 2021, and COFO’s Conference Committee is now accepting proposals to present at the conference.
The Annual Conference is focused on the needs of ombuds practitioners serving in the federal government, but the day is always an ombuds-wide family affair and we welcome anyone either practicing as an ombuds or interested in ombuds to join us as an attendee or presenter. Registration is free, and the conference typically draws around 200 attendees from across the ombuds profession and broader ADR community.
COFO has space for 60-minute, 45-minute, and 30-minute virtual presentations on substantive topics over the course of the day. Additionally, we are also looking for short 10-minute to 15-minute presentations (called “blips”) which should be fun and entertaining in nature, but should tie in with ombuds practice in some way – self-care, reflection, the realities of our work, or anything else. Be creative!
Please be aware that the virtual technology we will be using makes breakout sessions essentially impossible, so sessions should be designed for traditional presentation and Q&A rather than discussion-based breakouts. Please also be aware that COFO members practice to several different ombuds models, so presentations that are of interest to practitioners across all models are preferred.
Please email the title and description of your proposed presentation, as well as the names, titles, affiliations, and bios of all presenters, by 25 August 2021 to both [email protected] and [email protected]. We hope that you can join us!