The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosts a variety of community groups, commonly known as employee resource groups or affinity groups. These groups connect employees with shared backgrounds, characteristics, interests, or goals and offer them opportunities for networking, professional development, outreach, and mentorship. Use the information below to help establish affinity groups in your company.
Templates
We have created templates for a charter and bylaws that you can use to establish and maintain your own affinity groups.
National affinity groups
In addition to developing unique community groups at your company, you can also host chapters of established national affinity groups. The USPTO hosts chapters of:
- Blacks in Government (BIG)
- Federally Employed Women (FEW)
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
More information on USPTO affinity groups
In celebration of the diversity at the USPTO, we’ve produced a series of videos featuring many of our affinity group members, the work they do, and the communities they represent.