David J. Freeland is the Chief Information Officer (CIO), responsible for Information Technology Services for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He serves as principal advisor to the USPTO Director on applying information technology (IT) to support and improve business processes. Mr. Freeland directs all aspects of the Office's automated information systems and its strategic and operational information technology plans.
As leader of the CIO organization, he is responsible for USPTO automated systems engineering, development, and operations, telecommunications, security, and the dissemination of patent and trademark information to the public.
Before joining the USPTO, Mr. Freeland served as CIO for the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS), and was responsible for systems that were used to determine eligibility for several large government programs, including food stamps and Medicaid.
Mr. Freeland joined Texas DHS in 1982 and directed several areas including telecommunications, client/server, and research and development. While Director of Telecommunications, he was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Health & Human Services Consolidated Network (HHSCN), a cooperative inter-agency organization that provides telecommunications support to more than 200 public and private organizations.
Mr. Freeland served as the chair of the Texas State Agency Coordinating Council (SACC) Information Technology subcommittee and led the CIOs of the 17 largest state agencies in addressing common IT concerns. He also served on the advisory committee for the West Texas Disaster Recovery and Operations Center. On the national level, Mr. Freeland represented Texas on the National Associations of State CIOs committee to share objects across state and local governments. He also participated in the Information Systems Management (ISM) activities of the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA).
He is a graduate of Tulane University with a bachelor of science in biochemistry, and of the Senior Managers Program of the Texas Governor's Center for Management Development.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Since 1790, the basic role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has remained the same: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries (Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution). Today, the USPTO is a federal agency in the Department of Commerce, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
Through the issuance of patents, the USPTO encourages technological advancement by providing incentives to invent, invest in, and disclose new technology worldwide. Through the registration of trademarks, the agency assists businesses in protecting their investments, promoting goods and services, and safeguarding consumers against confusion and deception in the marketplace. By disseminating both patent and trademark information, the USPTO promotes an understanding of intellectual property protection and facilitates the development and sharing of new technologies worldwide.
SOURCE: WWW.USPTO.GOV |