Category Archives: Agency

WOMEN ON THE RISE A Leadership Dialogue

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Event flyerTuesday, March 20, 2018, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Main Auditorium. Federal employees and contractors are invited to join an exciting and dynamic afternoon with high-level women across government to hear about leadership, learning, and life-long lessons. Both men and women are encouraged to attend.

  • Learn about career navigation strategies, taking smart risks, failure and recovery, resiliency, what keeps leaders up at night, the importance of mentorship and giving back, how we can all support each other, advice for the next generation of leaders, and making the U.S. government a rewarding place to work for both women and men.
  • Participate in interagency networking and make professional associations among fellow federal government colleagues.
    Hear from high-level speakers on their personal journey
    to leadership.
  • Discuss how to inspire the younger generation to pursue government fields and reach more underrepresented individuals including women and girls.
    View the USPTO display for Women’s History Month on the Female Inventors Hall of Fame, located on the level immediately above the event.
  • This event is co-hosted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Network of Executive Women and Women in Science and Engineering, and POWER, the U.S. Department of Energy’s employee resource group.
  • To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/March202018

International Food Sample Festival Tickets On Sale Now!

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Event FlyerGet Your Tickets to the International Food Sample Festival!

The 2017 International Food Sample Festival will be July 19 from 11:30am – 1:30pm in Madison Auditorium. The food will include: Peruvian chicken, fried yucca, samosas, falafel, chicken biryani, eggplant spread, chicken kabob, vegetarian sushi, pie and ice cream, and more!

Pre-sale tickets for members of participating affinity groups will be available June 26-July 7. Contact one of our ticket sellers, Jennifer Fritz, David Fox, or Yaira Resto. Pre-Sale Prices for Members: 5 for $5 and 10 for $10.

General ticket sales will be available July 10-14. Please see any group’s ticket sellers or look for us by the cafeteria July 11-13. Regular Prices After Jul 7: 1 for $2; 4 for $5; 8 for $10; 10 for $12.

SES Information Series

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Event FlyerOur office has partnered with the Asian Pacific American Network (APAPNET) for a series of information sessions for those aspiring to the Senior Executive Service (SES). The first session is next Wednesday, June 14th,  featuring an expert from the Office of Human Resources providing an overview of the SES, and how to apply. The following week, attendees can choose to attend one of two panel discussions:

“Nailing the Interview: Advice for First-Time Applicants”  Wednesday, June 21

Panelists Andrew Wang, Robin Evans, Gladys Corcoran, and Jerry Lorengo will discuss work-life balance as an Executive, getting the experience you need to be competitive, and knowing when you’re ready to apply.

“Learning from Feedback: Advice for Repeat Applicants”  Thursday, June 22

Panelists Remy Yucel, Greg Vidovich, Wanda Walker, and Seema Rao will discuss the importance of asking for honest feedback and cultivating a personal brand to help you stand out in your interview.

All sessions will be held in the Global IP Academy (GIPA) from 12-1pm.

Speak Up!: Employee Viewpoint Survey

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Marketing FlyerOn May 9, OPM asked a random sample of USPTO employees to participate in the 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). Some of you are a part of that sample, so please check your inbox for a link to this year’s FEVS from OPM.GOV.

This year’s FEVS slogan is “Speak Up!,”­ and as an affinity group, it’s important that we do just that. Unlike the People Survey, the FEVS goes to a random sample of employees, so not everyone will have an opportunity to take it.

Responses to the survey are completely confidential. Managers and supervisors will have no knowledge of who receives a survey link.

As always, thanks for doing you part to make the USPTO a great place to work.

USPTO Blood Drive

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For those who can donate: Event FlyerTwo Opportunities to Save Lives
April 20, 2017 from 9AM to 4PM
April 21, 2017 from 9AM to 3PM

Plus a chance to receive Two Tickets* to a Washington Nationals game!

Two Tickets for each of the following games are available as a giveaway for two lucky donors:
Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets, Saturday, April 29th at 1:05PM
Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets, Sunday April 30th at 1:35PM

Two lucky donors will be chosen randomly.

*Donors must go through the screening process on 4/20/17 or 4/21/17 to be eligible for the ticked giveaway.

People Survey

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Dear Lambda Members,

USPTO leadership appreciates the role affinity groups play in helping agency employees feel more connected, and they want to better understand the benefits we offer. To demonstrate their interest and aid in that understanding, they’ve added a question about us to the 2017 People Survey! THIS PROVIDES US WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH A CORRELATION BETWEEN AFFINITY GROUP MEMBERSHIP AND  EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT.  This can justify additional investment in affinity groups.

As an active Lambda PTO member, you are already a strong contributor to the unique and diverse community here at USPTO. I hope you will take this opportunity to share how you feel we can make our community even better by completing the survey. This is truly an opportunity to make our voices heard not only as USPTO employees, but also as affinity group members.

Here are a few important things you should know:

  • The People Survey is completely confidential.
  • It will be open from January 17–February 3, 2017, and takes only about 25 minutes to complete.
  • Non-production time will be granted to production-based employees who participate in the survey. More specific instructions on recording your time to complete the survey will be provided by your business unit.
  • You will receive an email invitation to participate in the survey from USPTOPeopleSurvey(at)sirota.com, which will contain a link with a unique identification number.  Please do not forward your link to other employees.

I realize we are all busy, juggling multiple priorities, but I hope you can find a few minutes to join me in completing this important survey. I promise you it won’t take much of your time, and the feedback you provide will be invaluable.

 

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)

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Screen shot of the websiteCFC fund raising is in full force! If you’re undecided or considering which charities to give to, here’s a handy tool to search the thousands of organizations available.

https://cfctoday.org/who-is-in-the-campaign

Take advantage of the “More Search Options” button and filter your search terms to narrow down these charities to find the ones you’re looking for. I found by typing LGBT and narrowing it down to search only descriptions, I could get a pretty comprehensive list of both local and national organizations dedicated to Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans causes. The term “Gay” can also show those organizations that didn’t include the acronym in their writeup. Now, more than ever, is a good time to support the groups who support us.

Raising Children in a Diverse World coming May 24

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Photo of children's hands with rainbow light shining on them.The Office of Human Resources Benefits and Worklife Branch, in partnership with LifeCare, will present a “Raising Children in a Diverse World” webinar from 1-2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 24.   Register at WorkLife4You and use USPTO as the registration code if you’re not already registered on the LifeCare website.
Teaching children about diversity and tolerance is a critical part of parenting today. This seminar will provide information to teach children about diversity.
Join LifeCare Consultant, Ron Precourt as he discusses the following:

  • Helping children to be proud of their heritage
  • Introducing children to other cultures, religions and races
  • Answering tough questions
  • Protecting your child from discrimination
  • How to be a good role model.

All seminars are open to USPTO employees and their family members.

For inquiries related to the “Raising Children in a Diverse World” webinar or other USPTO Wellness events, contact the Compensation and Benefits Division. To view program details visit the USPTO Worksite Wellness online site and select calendar of events.