Hearty congratulations to Katherine "Kathi" Vidal L'96 who was recently confirmed by the US Senate as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and as Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)! In her new role, Kathi will lead the USPTO's 13,000+ employees and its nearly $4 billion budget. She will also serve as the principal advisor to the President of the United States and the administration, through the Secretary of Commerce, on all intellectual property policy matters. . Kathi most recently served as Managing Partner of Winston & Strawn's Silicon Valley office and served on the firm's Executive Committee. One of the country's leading patent litigators, Kathi is nationally recognized for leading and trying high-profile technology- and medical device-focused patent and other intellectual property disputes on behalf of leading companies, small to medium-size companies, and startups. Her work encompasses district court and ITC litigation as well as li...