Bob Stoll, Commissioner for Patents
Commissioner for Patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Robert L. Stoll has announced his intention to retire from the agency effective December 31, 2011. Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos has announced that he will nominate current Deputy Commissioner for Patents Margaret “Peggy” Focarino to the position of Commissioner for Patents once Commissioner Stoll’s resignation becomes effective.
Stoll was appointed Commissioner for Patents by Under Secretary Kappos in October 2009. In his 29 years with the Patent and Trademark Office Stoll has held several leadership posts including training foreign officials on all aspects of intellectual property (IP), overseeing the Office of Enforcement, and directing federal legislative priorities for the Agency. In his tenure as Commissioner for Patents, Stoll was in charge of implementing initiatives to improve the speed and quality of the patent review process, and was instrumental in reducing the patent application backlog to under 670,000. Stoll also served as a principal liaison to representatives of government, academia and industry in order to raise awareness of the critical role patents play in economic development, and played a key role in the USPTO’s effort to enact historic patent reform legislation.
“Bob came to this position with a distinguished tenure at the USPTO and a deep commitment to the intellectual property community. His passion for the Patent and Trademark Office and deft management style has helped lead the Patents organization at a critical juncture in the Agency’s history,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos.
“His leadership has been a key asset for the USPTO and we wish Bob well in his future endeavors. I am also thrilled to nominate Peggy to serve as Bob’s successor. Peggy brings extraordinary expertise in patent policy and practice, as well as a strong command of the inner-workings of the USPTO,” Kappos continued.
“Having spent over 30 years in government, there has been no greater honor than helping to lead our nation’s innovation agency—the USPTO,” said Stoll. “The Office has made historic progress under the leadership of Director Kappos and with Deputy Commissioner Focarino’s keen stewardship I see no better leader than her to continue making significant strides in patent operations as Commissioner and to oversee the implementation the new patent reform law. I wish the entire USPTO staff the best as they continue the critical work of supporting the U.S. economy by promoting and protecting innovation.”
The nomination of Deputy Commissioner Peggy Focarino to the position of Commissioner for Patents will ensure a smooth transition and continuity in the leadership of the Patents organization. Focarino has been with the agency for more than 34 years, and has significant experience as a patent examiner, supervisory patent examiner and technology center director. During her tenure she has overseen training for the entire agency’s patent examining corps, administered international projects pertaining to the Patent Cooperation Treaty, processed re-examination requests and implemented telework programs for technical support staff. She received the Department of Commerce Silver Medal in 2010 for leading a joint union and management task force that made the first significant changes to the patent examiner work credit system in more than 30 years. And in 2010, she was also the recipient of American University’s School of Public Affairs Roger W. Jones Award which recognizes two public servants annually in the federal government, whose careers are marked by extraordinary effectiveness in organizational performance and the development of employees. Ms. Focarino received her B.S. in Physics from the State University of New York, and a Certificate in Advanced Public Management from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
The Commissioner for Patents is nominated by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and is appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for a term of five years.
