Virtual Water Cooler Chat

Let’s Talk Art with Flor Da Valle, Curator, Photographer and Fashion Designer | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 29

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Flor Da Valle. Flor is a contemporary art curator, professional photographer, artist & fashion designer from Buenos Aires. She has been an entrepreneur for more than ten years in the Arts and Fashion Industry and hosts Online Art Experiences for team-building events for companies around the world like Facebook, Google, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, among others. She has exhibited her work and curated exhibitions in galleries in Buenos Aires and has a Master's Degree in Curating Contemporary Art.     
In 2021 she won the "Usina del Arte" photography Award and “Vivamos Cultura” from the Ministry of Culture of Buenos Aires. She has also won art grants from the Ministry of Culture. In 2022 she exhibited “Art Is the Mirror That Reveals Our Own Face”, her Master Thesis in Contemporary Art Curating, in which she also participated as an artist with her post-photography series “Art as a Mirror”. She was also part of the collective exhibition "From Cameras & Stories" at "Usina del Arte". In 2018 her work was selected for the collective show "Eternity" by Maurizio Cattelan in Art Basel Cities BA.   
Connect with Flor on LinkedIn.  
Errata: Flor completed her Master's degree in Curating Contemporary Art in 2022. The voice-over inadvertently indicated she was finishing the degree.
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.   
Learn more about VPG here. 

A Chat with Grace Wang, Attorney at Allen & Overy LLP | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 28

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Grace Wang, an attorney at Allen & Overy LLP’s New York office. Grace relies on her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT and patent prosecution background to advise her clients in inter partes review proceedings and requests for ex parte reexaminations. Her practice also focuses on litigation in the International Trade Commission and district court, as well as patent validity, infringement, freedom to operate, and due diligence analyses. 
Grace has experience with a wide range of technologies, including medical devices, signal processing, data analytics, integrated circuits, semiconductor devices, disease diagnostics, network biology, genetic risk assessment, communications systems and networks, and cloud computing. Grace's doctoral research focused on the neural coding of complex auditory signals. 
Connect with Grace on LinkedIn. 
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.   
Learn more about VPG here. 

A Chat with Judy He, Patent Attorney at Crowell & Moring LLP | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 27

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Judy He, a patent attorney at Crowell & Moring LLP. Judy has a significant amount of experience with litigating and resolving complex patent, trade secret, and commercial licensing disputes. She is on the board of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC) and teaches legal writing as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Judy loves living in Chicago and is very passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and mentorship. 
Judy has experience with advising and representing clients in mediations, arbitrations, and federal proceedings before various district courts; she also has an active pro bono practice and has successfully represented immigrant children with obtaining predicate orders for special immigrant juvenile status in Illinois state courts and immigrant families with obtaining asylum in Chicago Immigration Court. In 2021, Judy was a recipient of the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Rising Star Award. She has also been recognized twice by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service as a Pro Bono Leader for her contributions in 2020 and 2021 to the ABA’s Free Legal Answers project. Judy is an alum of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinders program and one of the 2022 Pathfinders Class Liaisons. 
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Judy was an extern with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, the largest legal program in the Department of Homeland Security. She was also a Public Interest Law Initiative Fellow at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.  
Connect with Judy on LinkedIn and learn more about Judy at Crowell & Moring LLP. 
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.   
Learn more about VPG here. 

A Chat with Dahlia George, Staff Attorney at the Office of Enrollment and Discipline at the USPTO | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 26

Disclaimer: The views expressed, opinions and stories that have been contributed to this podcast episode are those of Dahlia George and Virtual Patent Gateway. They do not belong to and cannot be credited to anyone at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED). 
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Dahlia George, Staff Attorney at the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).   
Dahlia's primary responsibilities involve investigating attorney and patent agent misconduct; spearheading the USPTO Diversion Program as an alternative to discipline; examining trademark applications for registration; representing USPTO in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) administrative hearings and Merit Systems Protection Board appeals. Dahlia also has experience as a USPTO Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer and served as a United States Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG).  
In her spare time, Dahlia enjoys hiking, reading, yoga, and watching movie classics.   
Connect with Dahlia on LinkedIn.  
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.   
Learn more about VPG here. 

Advancing Healthy Equality with Naseema Shafi | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 25

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Naseema Shafi (She/Her), CEO of Whitman-Walker Health on the topic of Advancing Health Equality. 
Naseema lives in the DMV area and initially joined Whitman-Walker in 2007. In her role as CEO, Naseema works to implement the strategic vision, goals and initiatives of the Board of Directors. She leads the support of the growth and oversight of the health center with a focus on the provision of high-quality, affirming care that centers the community and maintains the vitality of Whitman Walker. Prior to her current role, Naseema served as both the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for Whitman-Walker as well as its Director of Compliance, overseeing various matters related to corporate compliance and risk management.   
Naseema received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. She is a member of the Maryland State Bar. In 2016, Naseema was named a Minority Business Leader by The Washington Business Journal; she is inspired by the powers of community, citizenship, and empathy.   
Connect with Naseema on LinkedIn.  
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.   
Learn more about VPG here. 

A Chat with Li Guo, Counsel at Bunsow De Mory LLP | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 24

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Li Guo, Counsel at Bunsow De Mory LLP, and is interviewed by our special guest and mentor, Sheena Yap Chan, Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author of The Tao of Self-Confidence and Asian Women Who Boss Up, and podcast host of The Tao of Self-Confidence. 
As Counsel at Bunsow De Mory LLP, Li’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation, including patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright cases. Li also has a Ph.D in Chemistry and material science. Before becoming a lawyer, she worked as an engineer. She frequently speaks and writes about intellectual property issues and has been actively involved in a number of legal organizations and their committees.  
Connect with Li on LinkedIn. 
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.   
Learn more about VPG here. 

A Chat with Bree Vculek, Patent Scientist at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 23

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Bree Vculek, Patent Scientist at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and a recent graduate at The George Washington University Law School, located in Washington, D.C.  Bree specializes in patent prosecution across a variety of technical disciplines, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology (agricultural and pharmaceutical), chemistry, plants, food technology, and nutraceuticals.  
Prior to joining DWT, she spent time in the lab conducting molecular agrobiotechnology research, working on state, federal and international science and agricultural policy and regulatory matters, and managing global business development in antibody discovery contract research organizations. She previously served as a student attorney in GW Law’s Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic, a research assistant focusing on communications for GW Law’s IP Law program, a Senator in the Student Bar Association, and was a member of the first place team  in the USPTO’s 2023 National Patent Application Drafting Competition.  
In her spare time, Bree enjoys practicing plant-based nutrition and holistic living, [solidcore] workouts under the blue lights, hiking with her dog, Kai, and riding her horse, Rico.  
Connect with Bree on LinkedIn. 
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.  
Learn more about VPG here. 

A Chat with Tara Kim Eberhart, Senior Director, Practice Management at Dentons US LLP | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 22

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Tara Kim Eberhart. Tara is a Senior Director, Practice Management at Dentons US LLP, President of the International Practice Management Association (IPMA), and a Founding Member of Chief.  She is proud to be a recovering Paralegal, having started off her legal career “doing real work” (as she says) before transitioning into management and ultimately focusing her career on the business side of the law. Tara is known for her in-depth, operational knowledge and ability to implement enterprise-level innovation/technology solutions.  
Tara is an avid reader and is learning how to be an empty nester with her husband, Robert, now that her daughter, Madison, is a fully launched adult.   
Connect with Tara on LinkedIn. 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.  
Learn more about VPG here. 

Trailblazing Ethical AI with Shawnna Hoffman | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 21

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Shawnna Hoffman President of Guardrail Technologies, a leading tech company focused on Enabling Responsible Technology, on Trailblazing Ethical AI.  
Previously, Shawnna served as the Chief Technology Leader, Legal Strategy & Operations of Dell Technologies.  Prior to Dell Technologies, she was the ServiceNow Technology Workflows Manager and Predictive AIOps Federal Lead and was at IBM in Digital Transformation & Strategy in positions including Co-Leader of the Global Watson AI Legal Practice. She is a sought-after Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Subject Matter Expert and has spoken at the United Nations at Blockchain for Impact (2018) and the UN Data Forum (2020 and 2021). Shawnna was appointed Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) Distributed Ledger Technology and Market Infrastructure Subcommittee for 2018 – 2020.  
In 2019, she testified in front of the CFTC on “Blockchain Privacy & Confidentiality” and on “The Current State of Blockchain Adoption.” In 2017, she was awarded the Certificate of Leader Development in National Security and Strategy by the U.S. Army War College. 
Connect with Shawnna on LinkedIn. 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.  
Learn more about VPG here. 

A Chat with Brendy Belony, Paralegal Supervisor & Training Coordinator at Perkins Coie LLP | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 20

This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Brendy Belony, a Paralegal Supervisor & Training Coordinator at Perkins Coie LLP in Washington, DC. With over 20 years of experience, Brendy is a people manager who supervises, mentors, and trains patent prosecution paralegals and paralegal assistants. She is passionate about the empowerment and development of her team and spends her days training, mentoring, managing projects and working collaboratively with individuals at all organizational levels. 
Brendy takes every opportunity to learn and express her creativity. She’s an avid reader, loves to visit museums, History channel fanatic and is currently learning to play the piano as an adult. She also served as a volunteer mentor with the Fresh Air Fund, so it’s safe to say sharing knowledge and ideas are her passion.  
Connect with Brendy on LinkedIn.  
 
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.  
Learn more about VPG here.