By Paul Sotoudeh, Chief Ombudsman, USPTO Office of the Ombudsman
The Coalition of Federal Ombudsman (COFO) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting proposals to present at its 2022 Annual Conference on 14 October 2022. As with the COFO Annual Conferences in 2020 and 2021, presenters may present virtually, but COFO hopes to run the conference as a hybrid, with in-person attendance in Alexandria, VA.
Therefore, we are soliciting proposals for both virtual and in-person presentations, with a possibility of a pivot to all-virtual.
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. We welcome anyone either practicing as an ombuds or interested in ombuds work 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 again looking for “blips” – short 5-15 minute presentations or interactive activities that reflect the creative talents of our community. Blips are designed to help transition between presentations, energize, and engage. They should be creative or artistic content that can be fun, entertaining, or reflective and can be specific to or adjacent to ombuds practice, but they don’t have to be! Share your talent with us!
Please be aware that the virtual technology available to us and possible hybrid format make breakout sessions essentially impossible, so sessions should be designed for traditional presentation and Q&A rather than discussion-based breakouts. COFO has no budget and is, unfortunately, unable to pay a presenter fee or travel costs.
Please email the title and description of your proposed presentation or blip, as well as the names, titles, affiliations, and bios of all presenters, by 8 August 2022 to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you IOA! Of note - we've now extended the deadline for presentations to August 22nd, so you have a little more time to submit your proposals.