The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has appointed five additional federal officials to serve as co-vice chairs of a multiagency council that aims to develop a national strategy that promotes inclusive and expansive innovation in domestic entrepreneurship.
Federal representatives of the Council for Inclusive Innovation will work with members who come from the academic, nonprofit and commercial sectors, USPTO said Tuesday.
Gina Raimondo, secretary at the Department of Commerce, serves as the group’s chair and USPTO Director Kathi Vidal is the vice chair.
“Our nation’s diversity is what makes us stronger and more competitive. A more inclusive and expansive intellectual property economy will create new jobs with higher wages and promote economic prosperity for all—from those in all socio-economic classes as well as veterans, youth, retirees, to those who identify as diverse,” Vidal said.
The newly appointed co-vice chairs are:
- Alejandra Castillo, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development
- Donald Cravins Jr., undersecretary of commerce for minority business development
- Laurie Locascio, undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology, and director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation
- Shira Perlmutter, director of the U.S. Copyright Office
