JOHN HARRITY
CHAIRPERSON
HARRITY & HARRITY
John Harrity has been involved in the patent field for over 20 years. His current practice consists primarily of client counseling, reviewing patent applications, and overseeing firm advancement. John has drafted and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications in a wide variety of electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical technologies. He excels at coming up to speed quickly on inventions and converting even the most difficult inventions into an understandable patent application. John’s practice further includes filing PCT applications and prosecuting patent applications before the Patent Offices in Europe, Japan, Korea, China, Canada, and many other countries. Prior to forming Harrity & Harrity, John worked as a law clerk and was also was a Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. John is heavily involved in charity initiatives, serving on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association and Chair of the AHA Lawyers Have Heart event. As the Diversity Committee Co-Chair at Harrity, he spearheads many free DEI programs focused on improving the diversity landscape of the patent field.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
Since I suffered from a near-fatal heart attack in 2016, I have focused on giving back. This includes creating and launching programs to effectuate change in DEI. The Patent Pathways program is one such program. This program’s purpose is to bring diverse individuals into the patent field and to pair them with relevant job opportunities to foster skills development.
What is your vision for the program?
My vision is that Patent Pathways will ultimately lead to a patent field that is demographically identical to that of our society; where every group, whether it be race, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodiverse individuals, those with disabilities, or other, is represented proportionally and treated equally in patent law.
SHRUTI COSTALES
VICE CHAIRPERSON
SHRUTI LAW PLLC
Shruti Costales is currently Managing Member at Shruti Law PLLC, which is a woman and minority owned law practice. Recently, she was Legal Director at Dell Technologies. Before Dell Technologies, Shruti was Senior Counsel at another technology company. Shruti is a licensed patent attorney and has over 20 years of legal experience working in private practice, in-house, and with the Federal Government. She has over two decades of deep legal experience in handling patent application drafting and prosecution, patent counseling, patent litigation, Intellectual Property transactions, complex commercial transactions including drafting and negotiating XaaS agreements and handling FED/SLED agreements, product counseling, supply chain transactions, and due diligence and M&A related assessments. Shruti’s experience includes working in the chemicals/materials technologies, life sciences/healthcare technologies, electrical and computer technologies, and mechanical technologies. She has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and a JD from Franklin Pierce Law Center (now the University of New Hampshire School of Law). Shruti is a recognized DEI leader in the legal community and has co-authored various white papers and practical guides in the DEI space. In addition to being a member of ADAPT, ABA, and the IAPP, Shruti is Vice-Chair of the Intellectual Property Owners Association’s Small/Micro Company & Law Firm Committee.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
I want to help with the incredible and necessary mission that Patent Pathways® has which is to add individuals from all underrepresented groups to the patent bar in order to improve diversity of the patent bar.
What is your vision for the program?
My hope is to drive meaningful change via Patent Pathways® by increasing the number of individuals from underrepresented groups in the patent bar while ensuring that these individuals are fully prepared to have successful and long-term careers as patent agents or patent lawyers.
TARA AGNEW HARRIS
TREASURER
Tara Agnew Harris is a registered patent attorney with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a minor in Physics. She is originally from Greenwood, South Carolina, graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law with honors in 2001, and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her family. She has worked in the patent space in law firms and for corporations, handling worldwide patent litigation and prosecution as well as a significant amount of patent opinion work. Tara has enjoyed a long career of representing companies who innovate in the nonwovens space, the lithium-ion battery separator space, and many other technologies (power tools, roofing shingles, chip manufacturing, and gaming, just to name a few). Tara currently spends her time helping Patent Pathways® as well as several other nonprofit organizations whose missions are aligned toward equity and justice for all.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
I am passionate about diversifying the patent bar and moving toward a patent bar that is equitable and representative of our broader society.
What is your vision for the program?
My vision for Patent Pathways® is a thriving community of people fiercely committed to equity in the patent and intellectual property profession for long-term impact on innovation and how innovation is protected.
RICHARD WATKINS
SECRETARY
MEDTRONIC
Richard Watkins is a Sr. Principal Legal Counsel at Medtronic and has practiced IP Law for over 20 years before joining Medtronic’s Global Operations and Supply Chain Legal Organization specializing in Technology and Data Analytics. He holds a BS in Chemistry from Morehouse College and a law degree from Georgetown University. Prior to Medtronic, Richard spent time in private practice and corporate in-house positions in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Memphis. He has been active in professional organizations such as the National Bar Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Rich has served as the Co-Chair of the Black IP Professionals within the Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) Association and is currently on the Board for the IPO Education Foundation. Outside of the law, Richard serves as Board President of the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis, whose goal is to change the narrative on racially motivated killings in the area. Richard is married to Rev. Ayanna Watkins, Executive Director of Memphis Interfaith Coalition For Action and Hope and they are the proud parents of two daughters, with the youngest born in the summer of 2020. Richard enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, being active outdoors, and listening to live music.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
Because I love working with people trying to diversify the legal profession, especially in Intellectual Property.
What is your vision for the program?
For it be a pipeline for driven and determined individuals wishing to join and contribute to the practice of IP law.
ELAINE SPECTOR
BOARD MEMBER
HARRITY & HARRITY
Elaine Spector is a patent attorney with over 25 years of experience in intellectual property law. She is a partner at the IP boutique, Harrity & Harrity and has a degree in mechanical engineering. She is the first female partner in the firm’s history. Elaine hosts Elevate, Empower, Enlighten, a weekly empowerment vlog, as well as quarterly webinars in a series called The Empowerment Exchange. She also serves as vice chair of IPO’s DEI Committee, is a Board Member of the US IP Alliance, and is frequently involved in ADAPT (Advancing Diversity Across Patent Teams) initiatives.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
Patent Pathways® started as an internal DEIA initiative within Harrity & Harrity based on the statistic that there are more practitioners registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office named “Michael” than there are racially diverse women. With that statistic in mind, we decided that we were going to do something about it. Thus, the Patent Pathways® program was born. As the program began to grow, we saw that the patent field wanted to get engaged in the program. And that it would take the efforts of the entire patent field to make a difference. So, we created the non-profit Patent Pathways® as a way to engage the entire patent community. We believe that this program will be one of the most impactful programs in the patent field.
What is your vision for the program?
My vision for Patent Pathways® is to continue our work until the word “underrepresented” is no longer used when discussing the patent bar. With increased representation from all demographics in the patent bar, we will improve the patenting rates of every community. All Americans deserve to have access to the patent system and resources to advance their innovations. Having a patent agent or attorney that looks like you will make access so much easier. Patent Pathways® is an important piece of the puzzle to help realize the dream of entrepreneurship and innovation for our underrepresented communities.
PHONG DINH
BOARD MEMBER
MICROSOFT
Phong Dinh is an Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft, where he leads a patent team supporting Microsoft’s Cloud and AI businesses, including worldwide patent portfolio development, IP counseling, M&A transactions, licensing, and strategic partnerships for Microsoft. He further leads the company’s Standard Essential Patent (SEP) strategies with internal and external stakeholders, including with patent pools. Prior to Microsoft, he focused on patent litigation, prosecution, and IP transactions at Goodwin LLP in Washington D.C.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
The patent industry is an amazing place in which to work, but has a high barrier to entry. If we don’t try, the next generation of patent attorneys, and the unique experiences, background and perspectives that each will bring, will be lost. Patent Pathways® can empower the next generation with the resources, mentorship, and guidance needed begin a career in patent law and succeed.
What is your vision for the program?
Ultimately, Patent Pathways® can be pipeline for for those seeking to enter the profession. Every single person that we can help is a meaningful, important step forward.
KRIS EKWUEME
BOARD MEMBER
QUALCOMM
Kris Ekwueme is Senior Director, Patent Counsel at Qualcomm Incorporated, with over 20 years of experience in IP law and innovation strategy.
As a Board Member of Patent Pathways®, Kris is committed to expanding access to the patent profession for underrepresented groups. She mentors aspiring patent professionals and champions inclusive innovation, including implementing programs that support and empower diverse inventors. She also serves as co-chair of the ChIPs San Diego Chapter, advancing women in technology, law and policy.
Kris holds a J.D., cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is admitted to the California Bar and registered with the USPTO. She lives in San Diego with her husband and their four children.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring several Patent Pathways® participants and graduates and I’m a true believer in the Patent Pathways® mission. I want to be a part of opening doors for the next generation of diverse patent professionals. As someone who stumbled my way into the profession, I deeply understand the value of access, mentorship, and representation.
What is your vision for the program?
My vision for Patent Pathways® is that one day this program becomes obsolete—because the patent profession will have become truly inclusive, and programs like this will no longer be necessary.
MAEVE CARPENTER
BOARD MEMBER
IBM
Maeve Carpenter is Counsel at IBM in the Intellectual Property Legal Department. She leads a large team of patent professionals engaged in patent procurement across IBM’s broad technology portfolio, and also manages a docket of U.S. patent matters overseeing patent procurement operations in several software technology areas. Maeve additionally provides legal support for IBM product clearance and mobile applications. Maeve received her BS in Civil Engineering from Villanova University, and her J.D. from Tulane Law School. She is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is a member of the New York and Massachusetts Bars.
Why did you decide to get involved with Patent Pathways®?
I decided to get involved with Patent Pathways® because of the mission at hand – to diversity the patent bar and to provide access to the patent field to those that may not otherwise be able to enter the field. I care about this mission, and I hope to make a positive impact on the patent community.
What is your vision for the program?
My hope is that Patent Pathways® continues to broaden access and drive meaningful progress towards diversifying the patent field, ensuring the profession better reflects the society we live in. I also hope that Patent Pathways® continues to grow a network of supporters and stakeholders from the broader patent community who work together to advance this mission.
Help us expand Patent Pathways®
and make a lasting impact in patent law!
We’re looking for patent professionals who are passionate about expanding the patent field to volunteer for our upcoming Patent Pathways® program! We are currently seeking law firm and in-house counsel mentors, committee members, partners, and sponsors to help scale up the program.
Interested in making a difference? Click below to get involved in our 2025 program!