Tuskegee University Alumna Helps Push Through Patent and Trademark Resource Center Designation

December 19, 2024

Contact: Thonnia Lee, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
    

Thanks to the dedication of Tuskegee University alumna Charesse Evans, Tuskegee University Libraries received official designation as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the federal agency responsible for protecting inventions, creative designs, and other innovations.

This means Tuskegee University can now provide trademark and patent assistance through our library staff.

“As a patent attorney and intellectual property professional with over two decades of experience, I am incredibly proud to have played a role in helping Tuskegee University achieve official designation as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC),” said Evans, a Senior Advisor to Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “This designation holds particular significance for me, both personally and professionally. Throughout my career, I have collaborated with numerous institutions across the country to support and protect intellectual property. It is an absolute honor to witness my alma mater become an integral part of this essential ecosystem that nurtures the brilliant minds being shaped at the university and within the surrounding community.”

Evans said collaboration with Crystal James, Tuskegee University’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, and Theodore Riley, Director of University Compliance, helped to bolster the university’s academic resources and empowers students, faculty, and the community at large to navigate the complexities of patent and trademarks, encouraging innovation and creativity to flourish.

“PTRCs can help historically underserved communities gain greater access to the intellectual property system to protect their ideas, brands and companies and they can help create pathways to high-quality and better-paying jobs and successful entrepreneurship,” said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. “As a PTRC, Tuskegee University Libraries will enable your patrons and the innovators throughout Alabama to tap into the rich resources provided by our network of intellectual property experts and increase the diversity of inventors, entrepreneurs and small business owners who access the innovation ecosystem.”

“Tuskegee University has proudly served our nation in a variety of ways,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO. “This designation is another opportunity for the university and its library professionals to support the geniuses in this area and the nation who are dedicated to solving problems and creating things to enhance or simplify our daily lives.”

The Tuskegee University PTRC will support residents who want to patent an invention or register a trademark. The university team is trained to help inventors and small businesses find the information they need to protect their intellectual property.

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