President's Letter

Dear IPLAC Members, and other readers,

As our new program year begins, ratchet up your involvement in IPLAC! Enjoy IPLAC benefits. Make your membership count for you.

Did you know? Did you go? We had 45 events for members in the program year just concluded. Watch for new event announcements at this website and in your inbox, and make plans to be on IPLAC committees, and in IPLAC events, early and often! (To see one of our past events, go here and see USPTO Director Iancu.)

With 45 events, what a year we’ve had with Adam Kelly as our President! Thank you! The value IPLAC brings to its membership is remarkable, and especially true for this program year we are just concluding. We stand head and shoulders above other groups in value. We have had the bountiful opportunities of scads of local IPLAC social and IP CLE events for the whole of our IP community—most events having aspects of both the social and CLE, with events throughout the year. We have had one of our best-ever groups of annual meetings, judges’ dinners, symposiums, field days, and their associated luminary speakers, officials, guests, awards, wisdom, insights, fun, activity, and professional development for all of us who are IPLAC-aware. Adam has led and motivated our committees—thank you all committee chairs and members!—to a level of opportunities for our members that expresses that IPLAC today is vibrant, and exceeding the goals set at its 1884 (that’s right) founding and by Adam as he began his presidential year.

And thank you at the same level of enthusiasm for jobs well done to our officers and board members who are concluding present assignments: Paul Kitch, Immediate Past President, Clinton Hallman, Vice President, Tammy Miller, Treasurer, Jessic Bahr, Board Member, Van Economou, Board Member, Ellen Gutiontov, Board Member, and Joe Janas, Board Member. We look for you to be back in IPLAC roles and continuing in IPLAC activities. How could we also not thank our continuing officers and board members for their ongoing dedication, Tiffany Gehrke, Secretary, Erin Fox Board Member, Anna King Board Member, Tanya Miari Board Member, and Kevin Noonan Board Member.

In coming years, our returning IPLAC officers and board members will be joined and led by an excellent, enthusiastic new group of engaged Chicago area IP professionals. They will include Marc Richards President Elect, Erin Lothson Vice President, Peter Prommer Treasurer, Clinton Hallman again Board Member, Jared Hedman Board Member, RiKaleigh Johnson Board Member, and Daryl Lim Board Member. We are especially pleased that Clinton is actively launching our new mentorship program.

Beyond mentorship and the same old (hardly same, hardly old, hardly drab), what do we have to anticipate in the coming year? Let’s get to that in a next letter. In the meantime, contact your new officers and board with your ideas. See the website pages that give contact information. And you can e-mail me at [email protected], or call me at 312.463.5441, my direct line. 

Yours,

Charles Shifley
Your 2019-20 President