By Deborah Stephens, Deputy Chief Information Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office My name is Debbie Stephens, and I am the Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for the Commerce Department’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). I have served at the USPTO for over 30 years in multiple leadership roles, during which I have worked to improve the automated tools and informational...

Last week, U.S. Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves traveled to Brussels, Belgium and met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen . They discussed the close cooperation between the European Union and the United States on export controls to counter Russia’s war on Ukraine, the continued need for enforcement coordination, as well as European energy security. Deputy Secretary Graves’...

Earlier this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo traveled to Austin, Texas where she toured Austin Community College (ACC) to see first-hand how they are equipping students with the knowledge and skills for the manufacturing jobs of the future. Last week, Secretary Raimondo spoke to Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service where stressed the need for a trained workforce and the...

Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of Black Americans and recognize their contributions to our country. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on our work here at the Department to ensure economic growth and opportunity for all communities. The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to using the power of the Federal Government to address the long...

By Junish Arora, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer As the new DOC Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), I wanted to share my perspective on the first critical year in that role. While it cannot be overstated how important it was for me to navigate the stakeholder universe and perform a comprehensive review of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), it was also key to go from Z...

By Paul Watson, Team Lead, Geospatial Reference Data Branch, U.S. Census Bureau I was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Prince George's County, Maryland. My family is from Jamaica, and always placed a strong emphasis on professionalism and passion. Many of my family members worked in architecture, construction, and engineering jobs that helped shape the earth beneath our feet. Their...

Issues call to action to unite in driving technological progress and ensuring America’s global leadership Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo delivered a speech titled, “The CHIPS Act and a Long-term Vision for America’s Technological Leadership,” at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. In her remarks, Raimondo outlined the historic opportunity provided by the CHIPS...

By Angela Ewell-Madison, Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Economic Development Administration As a Black American and a career employee at the Commerce Department’s U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), I believe that Black history is American history. I am proud to join generations of Black public servants in my over 30 years of Federal service. My Journey to...