Shirin Bidel-Niyat is the Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As the Acting Deputy Director, Ms. Bidel-Niyat serves as the principal advisor to Derrick Brent, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the USPTO, managing a wide portfolio of programs and operations for one of the largest intellectual property (IP) offices in the world, with more than 14,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $4 billion. Her responsibilities include working with Acting Director Brent to lead the USPTO; advance IP policy and procedures for the benefit of the country; expand the USPTO’s outreach efforts to incentivize and support more innovation and entrepreneurship nationwide; and execute the agency’s policies, priorities, and programs.
In her previous role as Chief of Staff for the USPTO, Ms. Bidel-Niyat was responsible for supporting the Office of the Under Secretary and the USPTO on a wide variety of policy and operational matters. Ms. Bidel-Niyat served the Director as a principal advisor and helped coordinate USPTO's budget and the execution of the daily operations, policies, priorities, and global communications that further the President’s intellectual property agenda. In addition, she served on the USPTO’s Executive Committee and managed the day-to-day policy coordination process with the White House, the Department of Commerce, and other federal agencies. In her previous role at the USPTO, she served as a Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary and Director.
Ms. Bidel-Niyat is a political strategist with nearly two decades of electoral, legislative, and community organizing experience. She has created and led national organizations, inspired stakeholder buy-in, and directed campaigns to sway public sentiment and achieve issue advocacy, policy, and electoral goals.
Before joining the USPTO, Ms. Bidel-Niyat served as the Associate Director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the nation’s largest labor unions. In this role, she served as the Chief of Staff for her department and directed AFSCME’s efforts across the country. She oversaw state legislative, candidate, and issue campaigns, all focused on building worker strength by galvanizing member political activism. She previously served as the Deputy Political Director for the League of Conservation Voters and has been a manager and field director for various federal and state candidates and issue advocacy organizations.
Ms. Bidel-Niyat received a Bachelor of Arts in both political science and psychology from The George Washington University.