Judge Susan G. Braden (Ret.)
Judge Braden began her career as a Senior Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. She later became Counsel to two Federal Trade Commission Chairmen and was a Federal Trial and Appellate Litigator in private practice. In 2003, she became a Judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims; in 2017, she was designated Chief. After retiring in April 2019, Judge Braden was appointed to the U.S. Administrative Conference as a Public Member, and the Legal Advisory Board of the Washington Legal Foundation. In July 2020, she was appointed by the Office of the United States Trade Representative as one of 10 individuals who will represent the nation in disputes arising under the United States-Canada-Mexico Trade Agreement. She also serves on the boards of two companies that create and sell software and artificial intelligence and a major construction company. Judge Braden received a bachelor’s degree and law degree from Case Western Reserve University. She also received a Business Administration Certificate from Georgetown University and attended Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation. Judge Braden serves as an Arbitrator, Mediator, and Special Master for the American Arbitration Association and FedArb. Her term as a member began on December 1, 2020.
Dan Brown
Dr. Brown is an award-winning designer, inventor, entrepreneur, and full-time professor at the Segal Design Institute of Northwestern University. He is a native of Chicago, where he attended St. Xavier University, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. Additionally, Dr. Brown earned his master’s degree from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in design from Coventry University in the United Kingdom. He has received over 100 U.S. and international utility patents for his novel product solutions in industry and has taken many of his inventions to market himself as a founder of two startups. Dr. Brown has seen both sides of the American Dream, enjoying the market success of his bionic wrench invention, while at the same time fighting counterfeit versions that almost destroyed his business. Dr. Brown believes that the best social system for our nation provides good jobs, but job creation and the economic benefits of innovation fundamentally depend on the ability of inventor-entrepreneurs to protect their investments through their intellectual property. He continues to work in support of an equitable, protectable, and sustainable intellectual property system for all inventors. His term as a member began on December 1, 2020.
Steven Caltrider
Mr. Caltrider is Chief IP Counsel of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and retired Vice President and General Patent Counsel for Eli Lilly and Company. His passion is creating and enforcing IP to enable life-saving innovation to reach patients. He has extensive litigation experience in the leading intellectual property (IP) forums (more than 30 countries), including U.S. Federal District Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; courts in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands; as well as the USPTO, EPO, and JPO. Mr. Caltrider is also experienced in managing global teams of attorneys and staff on a wide range of IP matters, from patent procurement to technology acquisitions and data security. Mr. Caltrider received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University and a law degree, summa cum laude, from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. His term as a member began on December 1, 2020.
Loletta (Lolita) Darden
Ms. Darden is the Visiting Associate Clinical Professor and Director of the IP and Technology Clinic at The George Washington University Law School, where she has been since August 2022. Previously, Ms. Darden was an Associate Clinical Professor (with tenure) and Director of the IP Clinic at Suffolk University Law School for six years. Before joining Suffolk University, Ms. Darden worked for Sachnoff & Weaver, where she was a Partner and Patent Prosecution Department Chairperson. Prior to joining Sachnoff & Weaver, Ms. Darden was Chief IP Counsel for a small consumer products company, where she managed the company's IP prosecution and litigation portfolios and pioneered a strategy for strategically using and creating IP assets to enhance the company's competitive strength. As a law professor, Ms. Darden has taught IP survey, trademark law and practice, and patent law and practice. Ms. Darden is also a C-IP² Scholar at the George Mason University Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy, where her scholarship focuses on the protection and preservation of IP rights for creators and inventors. She is also a member of the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court. Her term as a member began on December 1, 2022.
Charles Duan
Mr. Duan is a Senior Policy Fellow in the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at the American University College of Law. He is also Director, Technology and Innovation Policy, at the R Street Institute, a nonprofit, public policy research organization in Washington, D.C. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Duan was Director, Patent Reform Project, at Public Knowledge, a nonprofit public interest organization, and he was a Research Fellow for Professor Paul Ohm at the Colorado Law School, a position funded by the National Science Foundation. He worked as a patent litigation and prosecution attorney at Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP, as well. His term as a member began on December 1, 2021.
Henry Hadad
Mr. Hadad is Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Innovation Law, at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he is Chief Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel, leading a team supporting the company’s efforts to discover, develop and deliver groundbreaking treatments for patients with serious unmet medical need. He was previously Chief IP Counsel at Schering-Plough Corporation and held roles at Johnson & Johnson and in private practice. During his legal career, Mr. Hadad has represented the innovative biopharmaceutical, generic, medical device and consumer goods industries, with a focus on IP procurement, litigation, transactions and policy in the United States and internationally, and is an active member of numerous IP educational, policy and advocacy organizations. Mr. Hadad is a passionate advocate for a strong and predictable IP system that drives innovation across all technologies, and in developing a diverse and inclusive pipeline of future leaders in the IP profession and the innovation ecosystem. He is a board member of the Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) Association, served as its President (2018-2019), and is currently chair of its Amicus Committee. Mr. Hadad holds a B.S. in Biology from Haverford College and a J.D., cum laude, from the American University, Washington College of Law. His term as a member began on December 1, 2022.
Suzanne Harrison (Chair)
Ms. Harrison is the Founder of Percipience LLC, a board-level advisory firm focused on managing and developing IP strategy, quantifying and mitigating IP risk, and increasing IP value capture. Ms. Harrison was previously a Director with Inflexion Point Strategy, an IP investment bank providing IP transaction assistance, and was the CEO and Founder of Gathering2.0, the first online community to increase information transparency and efficiency in the patent transaction market. She is also the co-author of three published books, each of which takes an in-depth look at the concepts of intellectual asset management and highlights the winning strategies used by large companies to maximize the value of their IP. Her term as a member began on December 1, 2021.
Heidi S. Nebel (Vice Chair)
Ms. Nebel serves as the Managing Partner and Chair of the Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group of McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC. Ms. Nebel has over 29 years of experience obtaining patents and designing IP strategy in the areas of biotechnology, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. She serves as an advocate for her clients and believes that the best results come from working in close association with USPTO examiners. Her clients include over 40 universities and research institutions, as well as fortune 500 companies around the world. She is also an active member of ChIPs®, a nonprofit organization that advances and connects women in technology, law, and policy. Her term as a member began on December 1, 2021.
Olivia Tsai
Ms. Tsai is Assistant General Counsel and Head of IP at Cruise, a leading autonomous vehicle company. At Cruise, she leads the team responsible for IP protection and strategy. She founded Cruise’s Asian and Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group. Prior to Cruise, Ms. Tsai counseled in cutting edge technology areas at Cisco, Sandia National Laboratories, and in private practice. She has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a JD from Case Western Reserve University. Ms. Tsai serves as Co-Founder and Corporate Secretary of Allied Transportation Association to bring together collaborative IP opportunities in the transportation industry. Ms. Tsai also serves as Founding Member of Advancing Diversity Across Patent Teams (“ADAPT”) to promote the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion among patent professionals. Her term as a member began on December 1, 2022.
Union Representatives
- Kathleen Duda
- Catherine Faint
- Vernon Ako Towler