USPTO Management Shake-Up Continues

USPTO Director David Kappos circulated an internal e-mail today announcing that Peter Pappas has become the USPTO Chief of Staff. Since 2010, Drew Hirshfeld has been Dir. Kappos’ chief of staff. Hirshfeld is staying with the PTO and will return to his post as Associate Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy. Bob Bahr has been the acting Associate Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy during this time. (Note, this is not Robert Bahr of Berkeley and Cisco).

Peter Pappas joined the USPTO as Chief Communications Officer and latter added the official title of “Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary.” Secretary Kappos wrote about Mr. Pappas’ new role:

In his new role as Chief of Staff, Peter will serve as my principal political advisor, oversee all public engagement functions and manage the interagency coordination process. He will serve as the USPTO’s chief liaison to the White House and Department of Commerce and continue to supervise the strategic communications function of the Office. He will also continue to serve as a member of the USPTO’s Executive Committee.

Congratulations to Drew on a job well done and congratulations to Peter on your new and expanded role. In a separate shake-up of senior USPTO management, last week, the USPTO announced the retirement of Patent Commissioner Bob Stoll. This is a natural time for a leadership change at the USPTO. The office has been pushing through legislative patent reform measures for the past several years. Now, it is time for implementation. Drew Hirshfeld’s new role as head of examination policy will be especially difficult because of the oncoming rash of new law and administrative procedures.

4 thoughts on “USPTO Management Shake-Up Continues

  1. 4

    So you see as in real life, Color doesn’t matter. Red said it’s Blues fault. And Blue said it’s Red. But the fact of the matter is as I was told many years ago by a kind Gentlemen,it’s both of them.
    So for the next 14 years, game on, bury Her. And what you put me through. For what? The right to be able to make and manufacture the whole kit and caboodle? And then You to protect a bunch of screw-ups?
    And then the dirty tricks. Knowing who I was and then using it to Game your system. And all the time knowing that it would take just one more little push…. And over she’d go. But I gotta tell yah a SECRET of my own. I’m a Weeble. Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down. Tell me true. Was I a national experiment to see just how far you could stretch my elastic, as in my very core?

  2. 3

    Did Drew Hirshfeld do something to lose his post as chief of staff? or are shakeups like this a standard thing?

  3. 2

    Care to enlighten the handful of us who didn’t guzzle the diverthity koolaid? Just looking for any plausible and non-self-loathing example of how someone’s queeritude would improve their performance or even insight on any patent-related job.

  4. 1

    Nice to see GLBT representation among USPTO promotions. It’s too bad Congress won’t allow the same for the FedCir.

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