Michelle N. Ankenbrand is detailed as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and is currently performing the duties of Director Review Executive. Judge Ankenbrand also serves as a Senior Lead Administrative Patent Judge (APJ) at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the USPTO and is currently performing the duties of Director Review Executive.
Judge Ankenbrand recently returned from a two-year assignment to the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate, serving as intellectual property counsel to U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. Judge Ankenbrand joined PTAB as an APJ in 2014, presiding over trial proceedings under the America Invents Act (AIA) and appeals arising from adverse decisions of patent examiners. Prior to joining PTAB, Judge Ankenbrand had an extensive career as a law clerk, including at the Delaware District Court, where she clerked for the Honorable Gregory M. Sleet for six years, and the Federal Circuit, where she clerked for the Honorable Raymond C. Clevenger, III.
Judge Ankenbrand also taught patent litigation and enforcement at Rutgers Law School. In addition, she practiced intellectual property law in Delaware, focusing on patent litigation in the district courts and at the Federal Circuit.
Judge Ankenbrand graduated from Union College with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and received her Juris Doctor from Villanova School of Law.