We need your help!

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We have several events upcoming that we could use some (wo)manpower!  If you can offer an hour of your time PLEASE sign up (email jennifer.fritz@uspto.gov)!  These activities allow us to fund-raise, recruit and grow & support our membership!

Upcoming dates and times that we need your help are:
March 8 12p-3p (Affinity Group Fair)
March 14, 15 & 16 11:30a-1:30p (selling care packages-fundraiser)
March 21, 22 and 23 any time (delivering care packages)

Come unwind….

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Join several of our fellow Affinity Groups for the Black History Month 2017 Wine Down!
We will have a Lambda PTO booth set up at this event and we are looking for volunteers to help us “(wo)/man” the table.  Please email Jen at jennifer.fritz@uspto.gov if you are willing to lend a half hour or an hour.  Thanks!

2017 Capital Pride Theme Announced!

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Ya’ll, I have to tell you I am SO EXCITED about this year’s theme!  Only yesterday I posted that I want us to be LOUD AND PROUD and then today I find out how similar the Pride theme is.  I love it!  This gives us a great direction to go for our June event(s).  I have a few ideas and I hope you have some too!  Bring them to the coffee break and happy hour and we will get the ball rolling on some amazing events!

A Letter from the Prez!

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Hi everyone!  I wanted to take the time to introduce myself, for those that haven’t met me in person.  I’m very excited to be a part of our wonderful group!  I work in the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity as the Agency’s Staff Sign Language Interpreter.  I’ve been in this position for about 2 and 1/2 years as a Federal Employee and 4 years as a contractor.  I am married and have a 10 year old daughter, Zoe and we live in Crofton, MD.  I attended school at East Carolina University (Biology Degree) and Rochester Institute of Technology (Interpreting Degree).

My hope for this year is to greatly expand not only our membership base, but also our participation.  I think many of you will agree we are facing a time that, may cause worry, concern and/or fear. Now, more than ever, I feel like we need to band together and make sure that we foster an environment that makes people feel safe and welcome.  I want us to be loud and proud, so that our colleagues who haven’t yet found their safe place know where to find us.  To that end, I would love it if you all try to make it to at least one event per quarter.  I know many of you work on production schedules and that can be a barrier to attendance.  I would also love to hear from YOU!  What types of events do you want to see?  Is there a speaker that you would want to come speak at one of our events?  Will you come if we hand out swag, have raffles or give you cookies?   Help me figure out the best way that I can serve you and our community this year.  I look forward to seeing you in person soon!  In the meantime, please check out the updates in this special edition of the newsletter.

Jen Fritz
Lambda PTO President
jennifer.fritz@uspto.gov

Meet the VP…

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Hello and a happy 2017 to all.  My name’s Leslee Friedman, and I’m a Trademark Examiner.  I came on board at the PTO in May 2015, and discovered Lambda at Community Day shortly thereafter.  My personal goals for the organization this year are to further awareness of safe spaces within the agency, and combine with other affinity groups to strengthen our numbers and create a stronger environment overall.  And if I pull myself together enough to make good desserts for IFS, that would be the cherry on top of the cake.  Almost literally.

Leslee Friedman
Lambda PTO Vice President
leslee.friedman@uspto.gov

Meet the Secretary…

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Hello my name is Lauren Pisha and I am a transgender woman.  I am a GS-13 patent examiner in Art Unit 2853, having a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Master of Engineering in environmental engineering both from the University of Maryland.  I also have a Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore, and am admitted to practice law in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.  One of my proudest accomplishments was the design and supervising construction of a disabled-accessible ramp for my Eagle Scout project at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center in Rockville, Maryland.

Women in Leadership

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Event FlyerPlease Join the USPTO Network of Executive Women, Women in Science and Engineering, and the Asian Pacific American Network for a “Women in Leadership Information Session” next Wednesday, January 25, from 4-6 p.m. in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Panelists include Meryl Hershkowitz, Jackie Stone, Rama Elluru, Seema Rao, Elizabeth Dougherty, Cynthia Lynch, and Susannah Chung. Refreshments will be provided.

For additional information, please contact Ahmed Nasir.

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.