Speakers

Ms. Teresa Stanek Rea

Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Teresa Stanek Rea is Deputy Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Ms. Rea oversees an office that encourages innovation and technological advancement, and helps businesses protect their investments, promote their goods and safeguard against deception in the marketplace.

Ms. Rea joined the USPTO in 2011 as Deputy Director. She is a leading attorney in the field of intellectual property with more than 25 years of legal experience and a past president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). Before joining the USPTO, Ms. Rea was a partner in Crowell & Moring LLP’s Washington, D.C., office where she focused on intellectual property and dispute resolution related to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life science issues. Rea has experience in drafting infringement and validity opinions, as well as experience in interference and licensing matters.

Ms. Rea also worked for Ethyl Corporation from 1980 through 1984 and for patent boutique firm Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis in Alexandria, Va.

Ms. Rea is a member of many technical and legal associations and has been a frequent lecturer and publisher on patent topics including biotechnology, nanotechnology, licensing, technology transfer, patent practice, export control and interferences.

Ms. Rea received a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Michigan.

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Dr. Gary K. Michelson, M.D.

National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee
Successful Inventor and Entrepreneur

Dr. Gary Michelson is a board certified orthopedic spinal surgeon who has a portfolio of over 250 U.S. and 500 foreign patents related to spinal fusion and surgical implants.  His inventions have advanced spinal surgery with minimally invasive procedures, devices, and surgical tools that are central to many spinal surgery systems. Annual sales for spinal devices currently exceed $4 billion.

Over 65 million Americans suffer from back pain, with over 650,000 surgeries performed each year.  By age 50, over 85% of the population shows some sign of disc degeneration. Spinal fusion strives to prevent motion at the painful vertebral segment to decrease pain.  Other conditions that may warrant spinal fusion are fractures, scoliosis, or a weak and unstable spine.

Michelson, a native of Philadelphia, attended Temple University and Hahnemann Medical College.  He began inventing tools and devices in his garage, and he eventually turned his hobby into Karlin Technology, Inc., a technology licensing company.  He is now involved with the creation of an open architecture library of digital downloadable college textbooks.  He also devotes his efforts to supporting medical research and animal welfare.  Since 2010, Michelson has served on the board of the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation.

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Ms. Catherine Pace Cain

Staff Attorney, Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Catherine Pace Cain is a Staff Attorney in the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Before joining the Commissioner’s office in February of 2006, Catherine served as an Examining Attorney with the USPTO for six years. Prior to attending law school and joining the USPTO, she enjoyed a lengthy career in the publishing industry, working at John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in New York and Little, Brown and Company in Boston, and as a freelance copy editor.

Ms. Cain received a BA in English from Marymount Manhattan College and a JD from the New England School of Law.

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Mr. John J. Calvert

Administrator, Inventors Assistance Program
United States Patent and Trademark Office

John has responsibility of the Inventor Assistance Program, which includes inventor outreach and university outreach initiatives.  The USPTO has made outreach and education a high priority due to the increased interest in intellectual property both by business and education.  Mr. Calvert has expanded the Inventor Assistance Program to include educational initiatives for students, inventors and small businesses and has created inventor assistance through pro bono and pro se initiatives both inside the USPTO and through working with universities and Bar organizations.

Prior to being named Administrator, John was responsible for supervising as many as 25 examiners in the areas of textile technology and absorbent products. He also served as Acting Director for the Office of Independent Inventor Programs.

John graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Textile Technology in May 1971. He worked for Milliken and Co. and J. P. Stevens prior to returning to N.C. State University to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Textile Management. In February of 1990, John joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as an examiner specializing in textile technology. In February 1995, John became a Primary Examiner and in October 1998, he was named a Supervisory Patent Examiner. He has worked on various details and work assignments during his career at the USPTO.

Mr. Calvert has received numerous achievement awards, including the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for superior Federal service and the United States Patent and Trademark Office Exceptional Career Award. Mr. Calvert completed studies in the Syracuse University, Maxwell School certificates program of Advanced Public Management and completed the Executive Development Seminar sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management.

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Ms. Elizabeth L. Dougherty

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Patent Legal Administration
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Elizabeth Dougherty is an Acting Deputy Director in the Office of Patent Legal Administration at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  In this capacity she is responsible for the oversight and direction of a team of senior legal advisors and legal staff who serve as the legal policy advisors for the U.S. Patent Corps.  Ms. Dougherty and her team devise and implement training for the Patent Corps and the public, draft and disseminate legal policy memorandum and guidance documents for use by the Patent Corps and the public, and assist in the development and handling of special application issues and USPTO patent initiatives.                                                                

Previously at the USPTO, Ms. Dougherty served as the Special Assistant to the Acting Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as  a Senior Legal Advisor in the Office of Patent Legal Administration in the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy,  as a petitions attorney in the Office of Petitions, as an Executive Advisor to the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, and as a patent examiner.  During her tenure as a patent examiner, Ms. Dougherty was responsible for the examination of patent applications filed in the area of Class 73, Electric Devices used for Measuring or Testing. This included a wide variety of devices ranging, for example, from transducers for measuring torque, pressure, impact, and flow to meteorological devices and inventions measuring physical strength.

Ms. Dougherty is frequently called upon to lecture, often to student groups of all ages, on the USPTO, the patent process, innovation and creativity, and legal aspects of obtaining and maintaining a U.S. patent.

Ms. Dougherty received a Bachelors Degree in Physics from the Catholic University of America in 1991 and a Juris Doctorate from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in 1996.

She is a member of the Virginia Bar, the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court, the American Bar Association, the Federal Circuit Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Patent and Trademark Office Society, the Supervisory Patent Examiners and Classifiers Organization, Women in Science and Engineering, and the Prince George’s County Historical Society.

Ms. Dougherty enjoys history, living in an 1854 home on the Maryland Historic Register and is the owner of nearly fifty patent models. In addition, she collects other books, documents, and artifacts of USPTO history. 

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Mr. Louis J. Foreman

Inventor - Founder and Chief Executive of Enventys

Louis Foreman is founder and Chief Executive of Enventys® (www.enventys.com), an integrated product design and engineering firm with offices in Charlotte, NC and Taiwan.  Louis graduated from The University of Illinois with a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics.  His interest in starting businesses and developing innovative products began while a sophomore with his first company founded in his fraternity room.  Over the past 20 years Louis has created 9 successful start-ups and has been directly responsible for the creation of over 20 others.  A prolific inventor, he is the inventor of 10 registered US Patents, and his firm is responsible for the development and filing of well over 400 more.

The recipient of numerous awards for entrepreneurial achievement, his passion for small business extends beyond his own companies.  Louis volunteers his time teaching small business classes at various Colleges and Universities.  He received the 2007 Instructor Achievement Awards for his teaching at Central Piedmont Community College, and in 2009 was recognized by the National Museum of Education for his Distinguished Contributions to Education.  In 2009, Louis was named Entrepreneur in Residence at the McColl School of Business at Queens University.  He is a frequent lecturer and radio/TV guest on the topics of small business creation and innovation and is frequently invited by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and national trade associations to be a featured speaker on the topic of innovation.

In addition to being an inventor, Louis is also committed to inspiring others to be innovative.  Louis is the creator of the Emmy® Award winning PBS TV show, Everyday Edisons and serves as the Executive Producer and lead judge.  The show is in its third season and appears nationally on PBS.  In 2007, Louis became the publisher of Inventors Digest, a 25 year old publication devoted to the topic of American Innovation.  In 2009, his first book, The Independent Inventor's Handbook, was published by Workman Publishing.

Louis was a founding member of The Inventors Network of the Carolina, a non-profit organization that empowers inventors through education.  In 2010, he was elected to the boards of Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation (IPO) and the United Inventors Association (UIA).  He also serves as a board member for the Entrepreneurial Leadership Council at Queens University.

In 2008, Louis was appointed by United States Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez to serve for a three year term on the nine-person Patent Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  The Committee was created by Congress in 1999 to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office on matters relating to the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of the patent operation.

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Ms. Montia Givens-Pressey

Staff Attorney, Policy Office of the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Montia Givens-Pressey is a staff attorney in the Policy Office of the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks. Montia's duties include providing expert information and guidance on law and policy matters pertaining to the federal trademark registration process, maintenance requirements for registrations, and the petition process to both internal and external customers. Montia also drafts petition decisions on a wide range of issues in petitions to the Commissioner for Trademarks, including the review of decisions by Examining Attorneys and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In addition, Montia provides expert legal support to the Post Registration Unit of the Trademark Office, including developing relevant training materials, reviewing relevant proposed legislation, and responding to day-to-day inquiries about legal issues.

Previously, Montia worked as a Trademark Examining Attorney with the Office from 1995 to 1999, where in addition to examining applications, Montia also trained newly hired attorneys and assisted in various other management activities. Montia also worked for five years as a trademark associate with a large intellectual property law firm in Washington, D.C. where her practice focused on trademark prosecution, client counseling, and advice in proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Montia received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.

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Mr. Mark Hatch

 Chief Executive Officer
TechShop

Mark Hatch, CEO of TechShop and is a former Green Beret. TechShop is an exciting platform focused on radically democratizing access to the tools, information, resources and community needed to design and innovate. TechShop is crushing barriers and building new and exciting pathways for the creative class to do what it does best… invent.

Featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, Inc., Forbes and numerous other publications, TechShop currently operates in Menlo Park, CA and Raleigh, NC, San Francisco, San Jose and has plans for a many new locations including an open innovation exchange in Detroit through a recently announced collaboration with the Ford Motor Company.

A leader in the Maker and Open Innovation movements, Mark has held executive positions focused on innovation, disruptive technology and entrepreneurship at large and small firms including Avery Dennison, Kinko's and Health Net. He holds an M.B.A. from the Drucker Center at the Claremont Graduate University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Irvine. 

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Ms. Darnell M. Jayne

        Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology Center 3600
United States Patent and Trademark Office
 

Darnell received a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Central Florida in 1990. Darnell received a Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law in 1997 and is a member of the Colorado Bar.  She joined the Patent and Trademark Office in 1990.  As a primary examiner,  Darnell worked mainly in the lock, closure fastener and safe technologies. Darnell became a Legal Advisor for the Office of Patent Legal Administration in 2001.  In 2005, Darnell accepted a position as a Training Quality Assurance Specialist (TQAS) in TC 3600. In 2010, Darnell became the supervisor of Art Unit 3637 which examines mostly furniture, support rack and table technologies.  Darnell resides in Arlington Virginia with her husband, Dave and daughter Laura.

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Ms. Tami Galt

       Ms. Tami Galt
Inventor – CEO FoldingWagon LLC 

Tami Galt is the product developer of the patented, award-winning folding wagon, Fold-It & Go (www.foldingwagon.com ).  The Fold-it & Go Portable Wagon is a sturdy, full-size wagon which can be quickly folded to fit into any car.  It comes fully assembled with a carry bag and sun shade.  Tami and Tom, her husband, started developing her idea in 1999.  A utility patent was granted in 2002.  They have licensed their patent over the years to three different companies and it is currently licensed to Trigen Group, LLC.  Having enjoyed some success with Costco, ToysRUs and Amazon retailers, they are still struggling to land major contracts with big box retailers nationwide.  Tami Galt, CSP, ARM, is a full-time safety consultant with two team gymnast kids and a long-suffering husband.  Her hobbies include canoeing, camping and biking. 

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Mr. Jim Housel

Director 
Global Intellectual Property Academy

James Housel is Director for the Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he is currently leading training efforts for international officials in all areas of intellectual property.  Prior to this position, Jim served as a Patent Attorney with the USPTO’s Office of Policy and External Affairs (OPEA) as the lead USPTO official for both IP and Public Health, and IP and Climate Change. Jim joined the USPTO as a patent examiner in the Chemical Engineering group in 1982, where he examined a variety of chemical, mechanical and electrical technologies.  He also managed several different units in biotechnology and nanotechnology.  Moreover, Jim played leadership roles in developing many biotech examination policies and has been an active lecturer on U.S. patent law and procedure throughout his tenure with the USPTO.   Jim is active in his community serving as Vice President and a Director on the Board of Fairfax Cable Access Corporation.   In addition, Jim is Secretary to the Board of the Foundation for the Children of Vietnam, an international children’s charity, where he also served as co-founder and President.  Prior to that service, Jim was the Director of International Relief for the Latin American Parent’s Association.  Jim holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering, an MS in Systems Engineering, a law degree from the George Washington University School of Law, and is licensed to practice in Virginia.

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Mr. Anthony (Tony) Knight

Director, Office of Petitions
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Tony is a graduate of Drexel University, where he earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1985. Upon graduation he joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office as an examiner in the technology of pipefittings. While working at the USPTO, Tony attended George Mason University School of Law and earned his Juris Doctorate in 1990. From 1990 until 1992, he was in private practice. Tony has prosecuted applications for various technologies through out the USPTO. In 1992, Tony returned to the USPTO. After achieving the grade of primary examiner, he was promoted to Supervisory Patent Examiner in 1998 and has supervised examiners in such diverse fields as hinges and hardware to computer controls. In 2007 he was named to the position of Supervisor in the Office of Petitions.

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Mr. Andrew Koening

 Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology Center 2400
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Drew joined the USPTO in 2001 after graduating from Purdue University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.  In 2008, he became a Primary Examiner where he examined applications relating to Video Distribution systems, worked on an international harmonization reclassification project, and provided training for examiners.  Drew is currently a Supervisory Patent Examiner in TC 2400, where he supervises examiners in the same technology area that he examined.

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Mr. Andrew Krauss

President, Inventors Alliance

Andrew Krauss has been educating inventors for over 13 years as the President of Inventors Alliance. He has had countless successful inventors and other experts lecture month after month at Inventors Alliance events.

Andrew also co-founded inventRight ten years ago to teach people how to license their new product ideas. His unique teaching style and patience with Inventors is remarkable. He coaches his students step-by-step through the entire licensing process. Andrew now works with Inventor students in thirty countries around the world.

Andrew Krauss has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio) Science Friday, along with many other media outlets. 

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Mr. Glenn Kubota

Patent Attorney
Morrison & Foerster LLP

Glenn Kubota specializes in patent prosecution, client counseling, due diligence, and litigation support for high-technology clients.

He has represented clients involved in storage area networks, handheld electronic devices, mechanical devices, optical systems, broadband communications, cellular communications, video signal processing, interactive television, optical switching networks, Internet content delivery systems, disk drives, medical devices, semiconductor wafer handling, and electronic musical instruments.

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Ms. Tina Pompey

Vice President, Intellectual Property
Fox Group Legal 

Tina Pompey is Vice President, Intellectual Property, Fox Group Legal, part of the Fox Entertainment Group.  In this capacity she handles all trademark and copyright issues for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Studios, Fox Digital Entertainment, Fox Cable Network and the Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions for Fox International Channels.  The work includes clearance work, client counseling on mark selection, prosecution and registration of marks worldwide.  Ms. Pompey also handles claims from third-parties, and manages opposition, cancellation and infringement proceedings worldwide.

Ms.  Pompey has extensive in-house experience having worked in the IP departments at Hughes Electronics, Mattel and Chevron.  She began her legal career in the trademark area with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office where she held a variety of positions including Attorney-Advisor with the Office of Legislation and International Affairs (“OLIA”). 

Ms. Pompey graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and is licensed in California, the District of Columbia and Michigan.

Ms. Pompey is active in the International Trademark Association, and Corporate Counsel Women of Color.

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Mr. Ram Shukla

Supervisory Patent Examiner

Technology Center 1600

Ram is a Supervisory Patent Examiner in the Technology Center 1600. Currently he is a Supervisor of the art unit that examines Cellular Immunology and the Use of antibodies in diagnosing and treating diseases. He joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1998 and examined in the area of transgenic animals, gene therapy and related recombinant technology. He became a Primary Examiner in 2002 and a Supervisory Patent Examiner in 2005. He has supervised patent examiners in various biotechnology areas, including transgenic animals, gene therapy, nucleic acid probes and diagnostics and antibody mediated therapy and diagnostics. Ram has given presentations on Examination Practices to Patent Practitioners at USPTO TC 1600 Road Shows. He has also presented in several workshops on US Patent Examination Practice to Indian Patent Offices and Patent Practitioners in India.  Ram has received Department of Commerce Bronze Medals for outstanding performance in patent examination and special projects.

Ram has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Delhi University, India. He worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Prior to joining the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Ram was an Assistant Research Professor of Biochemistry and Adjunct Associate Professor of Genetics at the George Washington University, Washington DC, where he carried out research in the area of HIV gene regulation. He has published over 25 research articles and chapters in peer-reviewed journals and books.

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Mr. William C. Vaughn, Jr.

Supervisory Patent Examiner

Technology Center 2400

William C. Vaughn, Jr. joined the USPTO in March 1998 examining patents in the field of Memory and Multicomputer Data Transferring.  He has a B.S. Degree in Mathematics from Prairie View A&M University. Since coming to the USPTO, he has obtained Master’s Level status in 2003, Full Signatory Authority in 2004, and was awarded a Bronze Medal in 2005 for superior Federal service. 

He is a member and Education Chairperson for the Supervisory Patent Examiners and Classifiers Organization (SPECO), a member of the Patent and Trademark Society (PTOS). He has also served as a Quality Enhancement Meeting (QEM) Team Leader, a Trainer and a Mentor in Technology Centers 2100 and 2400.  Mr. Vaughn is currently a Supervisory Patent Examiner in Technology Center 2400 which he supervises examiners in the area of Recording and Compression technologies.  Mr. Vaughn is frequently called upon to lecture at the Office of Patent Training (OPT) Academy.  Prior to joining the USPTO, he served in the U.S. Army.  He also taught Middle and High school Mathematics.  Outside of the USPTO, he is very active in his church and his fraternity.  He enjoys coaching kids in youth sports.  He resides in Woodbridge, VA with his wife, and their two sons.  Both of his sons are very active in travel soccer, where they are a part of the DC United Academy Program and Prince William Courage Soccer Inc.

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Ms. Amy Wenslow

CEO, Products To Profit

Amy Wenslow, an international product expert, captivates audiences with her charismatic style as she shares insight on how to position and produce products that will make millions through high volume sales to home shopping channels and mass merchandisers.  With over 21 years experience in product development, sales and management for consumer goods, her success has led to expanding from a North American clientele to an international one, with clients in including countries as far away as Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, and the Czech Republic.

Amy is compelled by design specifically for high volume sales.  Her career has blended a strong design background with sales mastery and management. For 3 years, she worked as a lead developer on Beverly Hills Gold.  During this time, Beverly Hills Gold’s retail sales on QVC were $300 million dollars.

After that success, Amy managed sales teams of up to 24 people responsible for special event sales and corporate accounts including Zales, Helzberg Diamonds, Macy’s and Costco.

In 2006, Amy led a product launch in Wal-Mart with a $1.78 million dollar first order.  The product performed so well it earned permanent space.  Following quickly on that success, in 2007 Amy headed up development of a product line, Hear and Soul, that sold at Michael’s Craft Stores, Jo-Ann’s and AC Moore.  Michael’s sales on Hear and Soul in 2007 were $2.5 million dollars. 

Over the span of her career, Amy has worked on products as diverse as surfboards, jewelry, mouthwash, natural cleaning products, clothing and hardware.  Individual piece prices ranged from $1.99 up to $32,000 retail.

With her warm and energetic style, Amy inspires her audiences into action.  They feel her passion for people and respect for their dreams.  Her entertaining, direct delivery simplifies complex information for immediate use.  Amy’s high energy has attracted corporate speaking invitations from major companies, including Federal Express.  Trade shows across the United States have engaged Amy as a popular speaker for their educational events.

Amy serves inventors and entrepreneurs as found and CEO of Products to Profits, Inc., a company that creates winning strategies for consumer goods product development and product sales.

Amy Wenslow is an enthusiastic champion of living your passion and inspires people to take focused, specific action to make their dreams a reality.

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