USPTO Director Kathi Vidal announced as NACIE co-chair

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo this week announced in a press release that Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, has been appointed as a Federal Co-Chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (NACIE). 

“Under Secretary Vidal’s expertise complements NACIE’s two outstanding Federal Co-Chairs and will help enable NACIE to craft actionable, impactful policy recommendations,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As we work to strengthen U.S. competitiveness further on the global stage and better support our entrepreneurs and innovators, incentivizing innovation and protecting it through our intellectual property system are critical assets that should be prioritized.” 

NACIE is a federal advisory committee managed by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Committee members are working to identify and recommend solutions aimed at perpetuating the innovation economy—including growing a skilled STEM workforce and removing barriers for entrepreneurs ushering innovative technologies into the market—while also facilitating federal dialogue amongst the innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development communities.  

“I look forward to serving Secretary Gina Raimondo and our country as a Federal Co-Chair on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “To grow and maintain a strong U.S. economy, we must foster and promote innovation and entrepreneurship everywhere and from everyone, and we must protect and incentivize the same with intellectual property. Together with Federal Co-Chair Alejandra Castillo and NACIE, we will scale our efforts, reach people where they are, and bring about real change.” 

For more information about NACIE, please visit https://www.eda.gov/oie/nacie/. You can read current NACIE member bios at https://eda.gov/oie/nacie/members/2022-24/.