By
Kevin E. Noonan —

Acting Director
Teresa Stanek Rea (at right) has notified her colleagues that she will be leaving the
agency "in the near future."  The text of her announcement reads as follows:

Dear
Colleagues,

It has been a tremendous honor and a true pleasure
to serve with you as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the USPTO, America's
own "innovation agency."  It is with deep appreciation and
gratitude that I inform you that I have decided to leave the agency in the near
future.

I joined the United States Patent and Trademark
Office in March of 2011 as Deputy Director and have been privileged to serve at
an historic time for this agency.  As deputy to Dave Kappos I was fortunate
enough to participate as our agency implemented historic patent reforms, as
well as our ongoing efforts to modernize our entire way of serving and engaging
our stakeholders and the public in all areas of our operations.  Since I
became Acting Director we have together endured the difficulties of sequestration,
but we are weathering that financial storm with clear thinking and bold
determination.

My fondest memories of my time with this agency
will be all of those moments I engaged with each of you on matters large and
small.  You are some of the most hard-working and dedicated individuals I have
ever had the privilege of working with, and our stakeholders and the American
public are better off for your service.  You have exercised true vision in
ensuring we set the standard for excellence in government, and that is
reflected in our rapid rise in the rankings of one of the top places to work in
the federal government.

It is my anticipation that we will soon welcome a
new Director who will continue guiding the excellent work of the agency.  Until
then, I will do everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.

Thank you for the privilege of serving with you.

Terry

Teresa Stanek Rea
Deputy
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property &
Deputy
Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Department
of Commerce
Email:
Teresa.Rea@uspto.gov
Phone:
571-272-8700

Acting Director
Rea has led the Patent Office since former Director David Kappos left last
year, and worked closely with him during his tenure.  She is widely respected for having done an
excellent job leading the agency, and will be missed.