27th annual ip summit SPEAKERS

F. Scott Kieff 

Over two decades of expertise at the interface among technology, law, business, and national security, with emphasis on international trade, intellectual property, antitrust, finance and securities regulation, bankruptcy, biotechnology and medicine, governance, cyber, privacy, and security

Ryan Morris

I work with innovators, businesses, and industry leaders in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, software, oil & gas, and telecommunications, helping them navigate complex intellectual property disputes and appellate litigation. My clients rely on me to tackle intricate legal issues, adverse decisions, and novel challenges that require creative and tailored solutions. With nearly two decades of litigation experience, I have represented clients at all levels of federal and state courts, including authoring briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court and arguing cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Notable successes include reversing an adverse IPR decision in Auris Health, Inc. v. Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. through innovative argumentation grounded in a deep understanding of technology and legal standards, and securing a critical outcome in HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining, LLC v. Renewable Fuels Association by strategically addressing industry-wide implications before the Supreme Court.

Andrei Iancu 

Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell; Former Director of the USPTO

Phil Harris

Experienced Patent Attorney with a demonstrated history of proven and innovative strategies to protect important technical developments. Skilled in Memory Technology, Wireless Communications, Patent Preparation, Medical Devices, Electrical and Mechanical Arts, and other Intellectual Property aspects.

Karen Young 

Karen M. Young serves as Deputy Commissioner for Patents in the Patents business unit.  In this role, Ms. Young works with and provides executive leadership to Technology Center 2900, which handles the examination of designs.
Prior to becoming Deputy Commissioner for Patents, Karen served as an acting Deputy Commissioner for Patents, Group Director of Technology Center 2900 overseeing the examination of design patent applications, and prior to that she was a Group Director in Technology Center 1700, Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Technology Center 3700, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, and Products.
Ms. Young joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 1987 as a patent examiner in the fluid handling and dispensing art. She became a supervisory patent examiner in 1995 in Technology Center 3600 in the material and article handling area.
Throughout her career she has served on numerous details including ones to the Office of Petitions and to the Office of the Commissioner for Patents. Karen was also the Administrator for the Office of Patent Resources Administration assisting the Commissioner for Patents and Deputy Commissioners in the formulation, justification, and execution of the Patents business unit budget. Karen also served as Acting Director for the Office of Corporate Planning (now called the Office of Planning and Budget), which is responsible for the coordination of the overall USPTO budget.
She received a Silver Medal for the implementation of the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999; a Bronze Medal for superior performance of official duties; and a Bronze Medal for outstanding service in producing the 2002 and 2003 Performance and Accountability Reports that were awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) Award by the Association of Government Accountants.
Ms. Young is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering. She also earned a Certificate in Accounting from the University of Virginia and has passed the Certified Public Accountants examination.

Margaret Polson

I am the founder and principal attorney for Polson Intellectual Property Law. I do preparation and prosecution of utility and design patent applications, trademarks, and copyrights, and also assist clients with licensing and intellectual property (IP) strategy and management.
I specialize in design rights law, the protection of the appearance of products. This includes design patents, trade dress, and design copyright.
I have drafted, prosecuted, and enforced utility patents for diverse clients and obtained patents in a wide variety of technical areas, from drilling tools to computer controlled rock saws, complex amusement rides, and vegetable-based engine oil. I help multinational corporations protect their intellectual property worldwide, including IP strategy, patent portfolio management, and enforcement. I have obtained hundreds of design patents for clients on a diverse array of commercial products. My clients include IFly Indoor Skydiving, Fitbit, and US Thrillrides.
I strive to help startups spend their limited IP budget wisely. I have counseled hundreds of startups and individual inventors during my career.

Dunstan H. Barnes

​Dunstan H. Barnes is a Shareholder at McAndrews and practices in all areas of intellectual property law with an emphasis on protecting and analyzing design rights. His work in that area includes drafting and prosecuting design patent applications and conducting opinion work and due diligence investigations. In addition, Dunstan has considerable experience drafting and prosecuting utility patent applications and trademark applications across a range of technological fields and industries.

As a practitioner, Dunstan is an effective communicator and an outstanding writer. He is particularly skilled at communicating complex, abstract technical concepts clearly and compellingly. He is a skilled intellectual property advocate and adviser who helps his clients protect their innovations, particularly new designs, in the U.S. and in global marketplaces. He helps his clients acquire and protect their IP rights, as well as navigate the world of existing rights. In 2021, Dunstan was honored as a 40 Under Forty attorney in Illinois. In recommending him for the honor, a senior IP counsel at a major international pharmaceutical company said of Dunstan, “I consider him to be one of the top 10 design patent attorneys in the United States, period.”

Dunstan is the immediate past chair of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Design Rights Committee and former chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Design Rights Committee. He has been an invited speaker at conferences, including the IPO Annual Meeting, AIPPI World Congress, AIPLA Annual Meeting, ABA-IPL Spring Meeting, and USPTO Design Day.

In his spare time, Dunstan enjoys football (soccer) in pretty much any weather, bass guitar, poker, and keeping up with his two energetic young children.​

Scott McMillan

​Partner, Weaver Austin Villeneuve & Sampson, Secretary of the Utah Bar IP Section

Molly Kocialski

Regional Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Rocky Mountain Regional Office
As the Regional Director of the Rocky Mountain Regional United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), since January 2016, Mollybeth (Molly) Kocialski carries out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and is responsible for leading the Rocky Mountain regional office. Focusing on the nine states within this region and actively engaging with the community, Ms. Kocialski ensures the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the region’s unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders.
 
Ms. Kocialski brings more than 20 years of intellectual property experience to the USPTO. Most recently, Ms. Kocialski was the Senior Patent Counsel for Oracle America, Inc, where she was responsible for managing an active patent prosecution docket and was also responsible for all of the post-grant procedures and patent investigations for Oracle and its subsidiaries. Prior to Oracle, she worked at Qwest Corporation and was also in private practice in both New York and Colorado focusing on intellectual property litigation for multiple high-tech companies while maintaining an active prosecution docket.
 
Ms. Kocialski is a recognized IP leader in the Rocky Mountain region. Ms. Kocialski currently serves on the Colorado Federal Executive Board’s Executive Committee. Ms. Kocialski is the Vice President of the Colorado IP Inn of Court and was previously the Chair of the Planning Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado IP Inn of Court. Further, Ms. Kocialski is a member of the Planning Committee for the Rocky Mountain Intellectual Property Institute, an annual two-day conference on intellectual property that attracts over 500 attendees. She was the Chair of the Intellectual Property Section of the Colorado Bar Association and served on the Colorado Bar Association’s Board of Governors. Ms. Kocialski served as the head of the IP Committee and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Colorado Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and served on the National IP Committee of the Association of the Corporate Counsel. In 2015, Ms. Kocialski was recognized by ManagingIP magazine as one of its North America Corporate IP Stars.
 
Ms. Kocialski is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law and received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. Ms. Kocialski is a registered patent attorney and is admitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the New York and Colorado state bars as well as to the United States Courts in those jurisdictions.

Derek Gilliland  ​

United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District if Texas, Waco Division

Hon. Margaret I. Strickland

Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico
Nominated by Joseph R. Biden on April 19, 2021, to a seat vacated by Robert C. Brack. Confirmed by the Senate on September 21, 2021, and received commission on October 22, 2021.

​Professional Career:
Trial lawyer, Law Office of the Public Defender, State of New Mexico, 2006-2011
Private practice, Las Cruces, New Mexico, 2011-2021

Hon. ​Howard C. Nielson Jr.

Judge
U.S. District Court for the District of Utah
2019 - Current
Partner
Cooper & Kirk, PLLC in Washington, D.C
2010 - 2019
Of counsel
Cooper & Kirk, PLLC in Washington, D.C
2005 - 2010
Deputy assistant attorney general
Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice
2003 - 2005
Counsel, U.S. Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
2001 - 2003
Associate
Issues and appeals practice group, Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Washington, D.C.
1999 - 2001
Law clerk, Hon. Anthony Kennedy
Supreme Court of the United States
1998 - 1999
Law clerk, Hon. J. Michael Luttig
United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
1997 - 1998

Chief Judge David C. Nye 

Nye began his legal career in 1986 in Burley, Idaho as a law clerk to Judge George G. Granata of the state's Fifth District Court. The following year, he joined the law firm of Merrill & Merrill in Pocatello as an associate.[2] He became a partner in 1989, specialized in medical malpractice and insurance law, and stayed with the firm until 2007.
In 2007, Nye became a judge in the Sixth Judicial District and presided over civil and criminal matters for ten years

HON. Cecila M. Romero

Romero obtained a B.A. from the University of Utah in 1998. She received a J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law in 2002. During her legal studies, Romero was a note and comment editor for the University of Utah Law Review.

At the time of her appointment, Romero was a partner in the Salt Lake City office of Holland & Hart.

Mark Miller

As a registered patent attorney, Mark is uniquely skilled in patent infringement litigation in federal court and post-grant proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He has litigated patent infringement actions in federal courts across the country and in the U.S. International Trade Commission. Mark also has significant expertise with trademark and trade secret litigation in federal courts, as well as inter partes proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.​

Daniel Girdwood 

Vice President & Head of Litigation/ITC (DC Office) at Samsung Electronics America

Lam Nguyen

Experienced patent litigation attorney with a demonstrated history of obtaining business-oriented results for clients. Experience managing large, complex litigation through resolution including trial experience.

Juliette P. White

Ms. White’s clients represent a diverse spectrum of industries, including technology, healthcare, food and beverage, recreation, consumer goods, online retail, and health and wellness.
In her intellectual property practice, Ms. White regularly represents clients in patent, trademark, false advertising, copyright and trade secret litigation throughout the United States and advises clients regarding trademark and copyright protection and enforcement strategies. 
Ms. White also represents clients in a wide range of business disputes including antitrust and unfair competition, class actions and consumer fraud. She regularly serves as a faculty member and presenter for the Utah State Bar’s Trial Skills Academy.
A dedicated community advocate, Ms. White is the past president of the Board of Trustees for the Disability Law Center, Utah’s protection and advocacy organization. In addition, Ms. White is currently pro bono counsel to the plaintiffs in a class action brought on behalf of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who successfully asserted claims against the State of Utah seeking access to community-based services.
From 2019 – 2021, Ms. White served as president of the Board of Trustees for And Justice For All a nonprofit organization supporting access to justice in Utah. During the same period, she served as chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the Tenth Circuit Historical Society and is a member of the Utah Women’s Forum. She is a past president of the David K. Watkiss-Sutherland II Inn of Court, the Utah Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Utah State Bar's Antitrust & Unfair Competition Section.
Ms. White received her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Contemporaneously with her law degree, she received a Master of Public Policy degree (M.P.P.) from Duke University.

Ryan L. Frei, Ph.D.

From the Lab to the Courtroom: Ryan earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Oregon’s Institute of Molecular Biology and his B.S. in Physics from Brigham Young University. This technical foundation allows him to break down complex scientific concepts and develop clear, compelling legal arguments to serve his clients’ business needs, whether defending against infringement claims or enforcing IP rights.
Invested in Clients and the Community: Beyond his practice, Ryan is committed to mentoring young attorneys and staying engaged with the evolving landscape of IP law through his leadership in local and national IP organizations. He is a regular speaker on issues at the intersection of IP and administrative law. He also dedicates time to pro bono work, providing legal assistance to domestic violence survivors through community legal aid organizations.
When he’s not tackling legal challenges, Ryan enjoys cycling the backroads and exploring the trails of the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children.

Sarah Jelsema

​Sarah Jelsema is counsel at Klarquist Sparkman, LLP. She primarily works on appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and patent cases before the district courts. She clerked for the Honorable Jimmie V. Reyna on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2011.

Heather Molleur

Managing Director, IP Team at Micron Technology

​- 15+ years of large corporate and start-up tech company legal experience advising executive leadership team (incl. CEO, CTO, CFO, COO, Exec. VP of Sales, Chief Product Officer), technical teams (both software and hardware), and sales and marketing teams.
- Nimble problem-solver with a "can-do" attitude; able to adjust to fast changing situations and environments in start-ups and public companies, as well as provide day-to-day advice and support to business and product teams.
- I have successfully supported product and R&D teams in technology areas including smart devices, cloud software and cloud architecture, automation software, sensors, big data, machine learning and AI, cybersecurity, and data management (including backup and storage management.) Additional technical expertise in materials, biotech, medical device, and semiconductor.
- Transactions and contracts experience in corporate, commercial and IP including: confidentiality, strategic partnerships (private, academic, government), standards setting organizations, joint development and collaborations, privacy, joint venture, co-marketing and co-branding, software integration (incl. developer agreements), SaaS, end-user license agreements, financial, investor, material transfers, supplier, purchasing, and consulting agreements.
- Intellectual Property Experience: Patents, trademarks, trade secret protection, worldwide patent portfolio management and strategy, IP licensing, freedom to operate (FTO), M&A, patentability and validity searching, patent litigation/enforcement, pre- and post-grant proceedings (IPR, Opposition, Reexamination), international patent prosecution (incl. Europe, China, Korea, Japan), Inventor outreach and training.
- Development and implementation of legal operations, internal processes, and budget.
- Management, training, and mentoring of legal team members.
- Assessing and implementing legal department management software tools for IP portfolio management, invention submission and review, and contracts management
- Management of outside counsel for IP, corporate, transactions, and commercial legal services.
- Experience with enterprise, SaaS, and consumer software products.
- Open source license management, processes, and risk assessment.
- Support, integration, and training of international teams, extensive experience with technical teams in India.
- M&A due diligence and integration
- Experience engaging with product team members including product managers, software and hardware engineers, data scientists, marketing and sales managers.

Kyle Vallecillo

Kyle Vallecillo is Senior IP Counsel at LG Energy Solution (LGES), the largest EV battery manufacturer in North America. He plays a key role in protecting LGES’s critical IP assets through patent prosecution, licensing, litigation, and trade secret enforcement across the company’s eight North American manufacturing plants.
 
Previously, Kyle spent a decade as a Primary Patent Examiner at the USPTO, specializing in error detection and fault recovery in computer and communication systems. He also contributed to reducing the USPTO’s AI backlog by voluntarily examining applications related to deep learning neural networks. Additionally, he served as a detailee at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, assisting in ex parte appeals and inter partes reviews. His contributions earned him recognition from the Director of the Office of Quality Assurance at the USPTO, as well as a Bronze Medal for outstanding performance from the Department of Commerce.
 
Beyond his IP career, Kyle serves as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. In his free time, he enjoys spending quality time with his family.
​

Aashish Chawla

Aashish Chawla currently manages the Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio for SLB’s Digital Production Domain and has also managed the IP portfolio for SLB’s Digital Drilling and Well Construction Domain.  He provides legal advice on concerns and risks related to Digital Technological issues, Open-Source issues, Legal Compliance Issues, Contractual Issues, Data Residency Issues, and Regulatory Issues.  Aashish also provides IP guidance and analysis for freedom to operate, patent landscape, innovation brainstorming, invention disclosure review, and provides training and education related to IP, Legal, and Digital processes and issues.  Aashish has led Intellectual Property related efforts with respect to several current and emergent technologies including, but not limited to, Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning Models, Generative AI), industrial automation, autonomous vehicle, clean energy, cybersecurity, telemedicine, robotics, augmented reality, and a diverse array of consumer electronics technologies.  Additionally, Aashish has acquired global experience managing various projects which impact business units ranging from joint ventures, joint industry projects, merger and acquisitions, process enhancements, process benchmarking, audit compliance, financial analysis, and technical analysis.   
​

Ian Clouse

Ian is a patent attorney with a focus on preparing and prosecuting patent applications within the electrical and mechanical arts.
He provides support to clients across the telecommunications, memory systems, electronics, home automation, semiconductor fields, radiation mitigation technology, and outdoor equipment. He has experience working with various medical device technologies including orthopedic implants, power tools, turbine engines, vehicle-based systems, acoustic control systems, semantic reasoning, controller technologies, enclosure technologies, and mixed-sample gene analysis.
In addition to his prosecution experience, Ian counsels clients on the intersection between industry standards and patents, patent infringement, validity analysis, non-infringement/invalidity opinions, and freedom-to-operate opinions.

Stephanie Plamondon

Professor Plamondon holds a J.D. (cum laude) from Harvard Law School, a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Utah School of Medicine, and an undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Prince Edward Island in her hometown of Charlottetown. Her legal writing (some of which has been published under the name Stephanie Plamondon Bair) has appeared in the Northwestern University Law Review, the Boston University Law Review, the BYU Law Review, the Ohio State Law Journal, the University of Illinois Law Review, and the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, among other outlets. Her science writing has appeared in Nature, Animal Behaviour, and the Journal of Comparative Psychology.

Sara Jones

Sara Jones is a foremost voice in inclusive leadership, known for her impactful talks on high performing teams, maximizing individual strengths, and shaping authentic leadership narratives. As CEO of InclusionPro® and a renowned thought leader on diversity, equity and inclusion, Jones is a frequent keynote and distinguished speaker to audiences of all sizes. Jones has been featured by TED, NPR and other international media. Her ability to engage with audiences of all backgrounds is evidenced by her high-profile features, including a TED talk on the emotional intricacies of international adoption, at go.ted.com/sarajones, which has garnered over 2 million views.

Kirk C. Coombs

Bringing more than 10 years of experience in patent drafting and prosecution, Kirk Coombs has a diverse background in software and computer engineering. Mr. Coombs also understands the specific needs of international patent preparation.

With past experience as a Linux Support Engineer and a deep personal interest in technology, clients appreciate his deep knowledge in hardware systems, cloud computing technologies, programming, systems architecture, and web technologies, among others.

Mr. Coombs is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Utah Supreme Court. He is a member of the Intellectual Property Section of the Utah State Bar. Mr. Coombs is an advocate for diversity in his field and is involved in diversity-forward directives with the State Bar and at Workman Nydegger.

When not practicing law, Kirk enjoys cycling, hiking in the mountains near his home, traveling with family, and pampering his dog, Titan.

Michelle Galloway

Michelle Greer Galloway's technology litigation practice focuses on patent litigation and strategic counseling. She also advises clients on legal, strategic and technical issues of information management, including electronically stored information and compliance.  She is a contributing editor of The Sedona Conference Primer on Social Media (1st and 2nd editions).

Chul-Woo Lee

Chul-Woo Lee is a registered patent attorney whose practice involves advising clients on their patent strategies for domestic and international filings. He is experienced in all phases of patent portfolio development including:

patentability searches
U.S. and International application preparation and prosecution
due diligence
clearance investigations (freedom-to-operate/right-to-use)
associated opinions
In his work, Chul-Woo has supervised junior associates’ work products, conducted face-to-face and telephonic interviews with patent examiners, clients, and individual inventors.