Heidi is an Intellectual Property attorney with over 30 years of experience obtaining patents and designing IP strategy in the areas of biotechnology, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Heidi is the Chair of the Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group, served as managing partner for more than 10 years and is currently on the firm’s Management Committee. She serves as an advocate for her clients and believes that the best results come from working in close association with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office examiners.
Heidi participated in the seminal United States Supreme Court case, Pioneer v. J. E. M. Ag Supply, 534 U. S. 124 (2001), which confirmed the availability of utility patent protection for plants.
Heidi is actively involved in AUTM (The Association of University Technology Managers) where she was elected to the Board of Directors in 2019. AUTM is the non-profit leader in efforts to educate, promote and inspire professionals in support of the development of academic research and technology transfer. The community is comprised of more than 3,000 members who work in more than 800 universities, research centers, hospitals, businesses and government organizations around the globe. She is recently completed a 3 year Board term and was honored to represent the organization in meeting with the Biden Harris transition team for the Department of Commerce.
Heidi also is serving a third term for the USDA on the PVP Advisory Board as she was recently re-appointed by the United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsac. The USDA PVP Advisory Board helps shape the country’s IP policy for plants through the Plant Variety Protection Act. Current work on the Board has involved PVP harmonization with the rest of the world under UPOV and implementing the sweeping changes enacted by the 2018 Farm Bill.
She was appointed by the United States Secretary of Commerce to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC). The PPAC committee is a direct report to the Under Secretary of Commerce and the USPTO Commissioner for Patents, Kathi Vidal and the PTAB both report to the PPAC to help shape patent policy for the United States. Heidi was appointed to Vice Chair of the PPAC for 2023 by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
Her clients include over 45 universities and research institutions, as well as fortune 500 companies around the world.
Heidi obtained patent 6,136,320 entitled VACCINES EXPRESSED IN PLANTS cited in MIT’s Technology Review magazine as “one of five patents that will transform business and technology”. The technology involved engineering plants to express various bacterial and viral antigens so that upon consumption of the resultant animal food product, an animal would become immunized.
Heidi also prepared and prosecuted US patent number 10,308,947 METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR MULTIPLEX RNA GUIDED GENOME EDITING AND OTHER RNA TECHNOLOGIES for Dr. Yinong Yang from Penn State University. The groundbreaking technology involves methods to highly increase gene editing efficiency in plants and animals. The technology has been widely adapted with over 50 peer review journal publications to date and has been exclusively licensed to Monsanto for use in their product development pipeline in plants and has recently been licensed for human use.
In early May 2019, Heidi worked with New West Genetics to file an application for one of the first PVP Certificates for AOSCA-certified hemp seed variety approved for by the 2018 Farm Bill.
In August of 2020, she obtained a decision from the US Patent Board of Appeals reversing the patent office and in providing key insight to the interpretation of the Plant Patent Act. See, Ex Parte Iezzoni Appeal number 2020-001469.
Agricultural patents in the animal area also form a large part of her practice including animal vaccines, gene editing, and sex selection. Heidi joined the firm in 1991, serves on the firm’s management committee and is the chairperson of the Biotechnology/Chemical Practice Group. She manages several of the firm’s largest clients and guides client teams to focus on overall business strategies around a solid intellectual property foundation. Heidi also enjoys being an advocate of biotechnology, speaking around the country on important issues in the field.
Heidi was the 2022 recipient of the Iowa Biotechnology Association Biotech Leader Award for her accomplishments and significant achievements in biotechnology. She was also one of 5 finalists for the 2022 CEO of the Year by the Technology Association of Iowa.
Heidi is rated as AV Preeminent® by LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible peer review rating for legal ability and ethical standards.
Heidi has recently been selected as a member of the Advisory Board for the Women in Leadership Certificate Program at the University of North Dakota. The Advisory Board works towards a shared vision to inspire change within organizations and throughout the community. As Heidi continuously embodies the values this program exhibits, she joins a group of champions to further improve a world-class executive education program. Advisory Board members are tasked with reviewing the program offerings and discussing curriculum of the Women in Leadership Certificate Program. This program strives to create leadership in action, including courses on Emotional Intelligence, Advocacy, Actions and Accountability, Executive Leadership and Organizational Culture and much more. Heidi is honored is share this appointment with other senior executives at companies such as Amazon, Bobcat and Shazam, Fisher Industries, MDU Resources, Noridian Mutual Insurance, SCHEELS and TMI Hospitality. Heidi is thrilled to inspire change and support the education of the upcoming generations of executive women in leadership across the country.
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