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In my final days "Performing the Functions and Duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO," I want to take a moment to thank all of you, our stakeholders. My experience leading this agency over the past year has been both extraordinary and memorable. I have learned so much and am humbled to have served in this role.
I also want to offer a few words about Kathi Vidal, who I have gotten to know well in recent weeks. She is, without a doubt, the right person to lead the USPTO. Not only is she highly qualified, but she has also repeatedly shown me and so many others how thoughtful and steadfast she is in her determination to do the right things for this agency and our nation’s inventors and entrepreneurs. She will be a great leader.
Supporting Kathi during her early months at the USPTO is very important to me, which is why I am honored that temporarily serving as her acting deputy will be the final step in my USPTO career. I had already planned to leave government service this summer, and I cannot think of a better way to conclude my time at the agency than by helping Kathi in any way I can before a permanent deputy director arrives. Andy Faile will continue to serve as acting Commissioner for Patents until a permanent Commissioner is named, and Dave Berdan will return to his permanent position as General Counsel. I am incredibly grateful to the both of them for their tremendous service.
From starting out as a patent examiner in 1994 to serving as the acting head of the agency almost 28 years later, I find it challenging to adequately express how fortunate I feel to have had such a fulfilling career at the USPTO. It has been an honor to be surrounded by so many wonderful people who are so focused on, and dedicated to, the historic mission of this great agency. It has been a true pleasure.
I look forward to working with Kathi and watching the USPTO grow and thrive under her leadership.
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Drew Hirshfeld
Performing the Functions and Duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
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