Progress continues on planned regional and community outreach offices in Atlanta and New Hampshire, respectively, prompting realignment
BY KATHI VIDAL
Since I began my tenure over two years ago, the USPTO has worked feverishly to increase American innovation and entrepreneurship. As part of our efforts, we have expanded our footprint so we can better serve every community across the nation.
I am pleased to announce progress on our plans to open a regional outreach office in Atlanta, Georgia and a community outreach office in Strafford County, New Hampshire.
With the addition of the Atlanta office, we are reshaping the regions each office will serve. The changes, which will be effective upon the opening of the Atlanta office, are as follows:
- Our Northeast Regional Outreach Office in Alexandria, Virginia will serve outreach for Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- Our Midwest Elijah J. McCoy Regional Outreach Office in Detroit, Michigan will serve Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
- Our Southwest Regional Outreach Office in Dallas, Texas will serve Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
- Our Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office in Denver, Colorado will serve Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
- Our Western Regional Outreach Office in San Jose, California will serve California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii.
The new regional outreach office in Atlanta will serve Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The first community outreach office in Strafford County, New Hampshire, will serve innovators and entrepreneurs in the northern New England region.
Our new regional and community outreach offices will serve as extensions of the agency’s outreach operations by providing important resources and services directly to local inventors and entrepreneurs, including those from underserved areas or communities, and by collaborating with community organizations and local professional groups to enhance the reach of our intellectual property (IP) awareness and education programs.
The regional outreach office in Atlanta is expected to be fully open and operational by December 2025. We are also in the process of locating space for our Strafford County, New Hampshire office.
Our regional outreach offices will continue to serve as hubs for education and outreach as well as playing a key role in employee engagement and connecting our national remote workforce to one another. Our new community outreach office will provide intensive support and resources in a narrow geographic region to boost innovation and entrepreneurship, especially to underserved communities.
Kathi Vidal is under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.