LES Education—2019 Wrap Up And A 2020 Preview

By Mark Keagle, Director of Education, LES (U.S.A. and Canada) e-mail: mkeagle@les.org, education@les.org

2019 was a very good year for LES Education. We had some very successful LES University offerings and developed relationships with several corporations as we work on presenting custom courses. We also worked with many Local Chapters to offer educational courses to various markets. In all, 2019 set LES up for a promising and exciting future moving forward.

1. One of the most promising opportunities is our relationship with the University of Michigan. In early Spring 2020, we will be in Ann Arbor presenting our IP Business Basics course. We’ll follow that up with a Negotiation Skills course in the Fall as the 2020 Fall Semester kicks off. If you are new to the world of Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital Management, the LES IP Business (& Licensing) Basics course is the perfect place to start. This one-day course is designed to give attendees the practical knowledge and experience needed through interactive exercises and a case study culminating in a mock negotiation. For those who have been in the field for some time, but are looking to hone their skills, LES is offering several courses to meet your needs.

2. Equally exciting is our partnership with the Georgia IP Alliance (GIPA). In February, we will be in Atlanta offering three courses: IP Ethics, IP Valuation, and the CLP Exam Review, as well as hosting our Leading Edge Series meeting. This new working partnership with GIPA is one that many of us are thrilled to cultivate and develop.

3. There are also several new Local Chapter Events we are finalizing. In the very near future we will be releasing course offerings in Houston, Silicon Valley, Salt Lake City, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C. and San Diego. Our goal is to engage and work with as many of the Local Chapters as are interested and willing.

4. Our 2020 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA is already shaping up to be one of our best conferences yet. We are busy working with Local Chapter leaders to make this meeting one to remember. And as a proud resident of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I am looking forward to welcoming everyone to my home—City of Brotherly Love and our great country’s first Capital City!

5. Our last big initiative for 2020 is to bring LES Education online, and the CLP Exam Review is going to be the first course we offer. Look for updates both on the Education web page, as well as our Insights emails.

There are so many more things in the works, and we are excited to roll them all out. If anyone is interested in learning more about how they can get involved with LES Education, please reach out to us at any time. We welcome the input of all our members! And if there is a course you are interested in, but don’t see it listed, please contact me as well. Whatever it may be I am always here to help, listen, and answer any questions.

We look forward to seeing you at a future LES Event in 2020. See the 2020 LES Education Calendar on Page 9.

LES Education Committee, back row, left: Jeff Whittle, Paul Stewart, Tanya Moore, Patrick Gattari. Front row, left, Mark Keagle, LES Director of Education; Carolyn Tomberlin, and Brian O’Shaughnessy.