Genevieve C. de Guzman serves as a Policy Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In her role, Ms. de Guzman counsels and collaborates with USPTO leadership to implement strong intellectual property (IP) policies, programs, and initiatives geared toward cultivating and institutionalizing an enduring IP ecosystem that incentivizes American ingenuity; catalyzes inclusive innovation and entrepreneurialism; and drives economic prosperity, creativity, and fair global competition.
Ms. de Guzman is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Virginia and her Juris Doctor and Certificate in IP from the University of Richmond School of Law. She provided legal services to small businesses, startups, nonprofit organizations, and entrepreneurs as a law student associate in Richmond Law’s IP & Transactional Law Clinic. She also served as an associate manuscript editor and a senior staff member for the Richmond Journal of Law and Technology.
Integrating her dedication to public service, propensity for problem-solving, and knowledge of strategic planning, Ms. de Guzman assisted regulatory, oversight, and policy efforts as a law clerk for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Chief Counsel. She also engaged in patent prosecution as an extern in the USPTO’s Patent Experience Externship Program. In addition, she worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in the Federal Major Crimes, Capitol Siege, and Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Sections of the Criminal Division, where she received multiple awards for her collaborative work and superior performance, including a Service Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Most recently, Ms. de Guzman served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Laura E. Crane of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.