Women transforming industries: Recognizing the power of intellectual property

Serene Almomen, Ph.D., is the CEO and co-founder of Attune (formerly Senseware), bringing extensive expertise in the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics, along with a notable portfolio of 22 patents under her belt. Her journey at Attune commenced with a vision to address the unmet needs of building owners, engineers, and sustainability consultants, enabling them to access real-time facility data wirelessly. Dr. Almomen's leadership has steered Attune into the IoT sector, where they offer energy, indoor air quality, and building equipment performance monitoring solutions for the commercial, industrial, and educational real estate industries. She's known for her commitment to technological innovation and has received recognition on Forbes' list of Women-led Startups in Tech and Inc.’s 2024 Female Founders list. 

As the Eastern Regional Outreach Director for the USPTO, Elizabeth Dougherty carries out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and is responsible for leading the USPTO's East Coast stakeholder engagement. Focusing on the region and actively engaging with the community, Ms. Dougherty ensures the USPTO's initiatives and programs are tailored to the region's unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders.

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Christiane Maertens is the founder and CEO of DoGoodery and Valor Bebidas, Inc. At DoGoodery, she collaborates with brands to champion transformative social initiatives, setting new standards for corporate responsibility and driving tangible change in communities. Under her leadership, DoGoodery has transformed the landscape of purpose-driven partnerships, making genuine impact beyond mere marketing. With Valor Bebidas, her vision goes beyond just tequila production; she's driven to revolutionize the industry by weaving equity into the tequila supply chain, ensuring that the artisans, passionate about crafting tequila's soulful spirit, are recognized and share in its prosperity. Beyond these core ventures, Christiane launched Disney's first corporate social responsibility campaign and amplified the North American Association for Environmental Education's (NAAEE) global influence. As the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador and Germany, she brings a distinctive perspective to her endeavors. Christiane is also a National Geographic Explorer and serves on the board of Outdoor Afro.

Tomeka Oubichon is the Eastern Regional Outreach Officer for the USPTO, a role in which she supports the strategic plans and goals of the agency with a focus on outreach and stakeholder engagement. She previously served in several roles at the agency, including patent searcher in the areas of biotechnology and computer architecture and software, and training specialist.

Oubichon has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Xavier University and a master's degree in library and information science from Louisiana State University. In addition, Oubichon is an alumni associate of the postgraduate Associate Fellowship Program at the National Library of Medicine.

Soma Saha is a patent attorney for the Office of Policy and International Affairs at the USPTO. She covers a variety of patent issues in South Asia, Africa, and parts of North America. She also leads the Patents for Humanity program, an awards competition recognizing innovators who use game-changing technology to meet global humanitarian challenges. Prior to joining the USPTO, she worked in private practice as a litigation associate in complex patent litigation in the electrical, mechanical, and pharmaceutical arts. Prior to law school, she worked as a process engineer for L'Oréal USA.

Ingrid Vanderveldt is the chairman and owner of EBW Worldwide, Vanderveldt Global Investments, and Ingrid Vanderveldt LLC. EBW consists of a portfolio of investments and initiatives that together help enterprises and impact investors gain access to and do business with the innovators they seek to reach their impact, environmental, social, and governance (ESG), and profit goals while creating economic opportunity for women. In 2021, Inc. Magazine ranked EBW the #28 fastest growing private company in America and the #1 fastest growing private business in Austin, Texas. EBW Distributors (a division of EBW) was acquired by Shield Manufacturing in March 2023 in a deal valued at over $100 million.

Previously, Vanderveldt was the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) for Dell Inc., where she oversaw entrepreneurial initiatives worldwide. She helped build a $250 million business segment and founded the $125 million Dell Innovators Credit Fund, Dell Founders Club, and the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs, reaching over 600 million people worldwide during her three-year term.  

Vanderveldt is a Forbes Council Member and the chair of the CEO Roundtable of The Religious Freedom and Business Foundation. She is an emeritus member of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council and recipient of the Global Empowerment Award by the Global Business and Interfaith Peace Awards.

Vanderveldt has been featured on outlets including NBC, CNBC, FOX, ABC, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, CNN Money, Fortune Magazine, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine. She was named one of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100 Global Leaders. She also was ranked #1 Super Connector by Fast Company, is the recipient of the Forbes and Northwestern Mutual Global Entrepreneur in Excellence Award, and was just named a recipient of The Global Voice Award, as well as the World Women Foundation and Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Award.

She created and hosted CNBC’s first original primetime series, “American Made,” reaching over one million viewers, is co-founder of The Billionaire Girls Club, and is a Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) Member. She holds a master's degree in architecture from the Savannah College of Art & Design and a Master of Business Administration in entrepreneurship from the University of Texas at Austin.