SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Brooks Kushman attorney Irina Sullivan has been elected to serve as secretary for the Women in Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Southeastern Michigan. Sullivan was also elected as the networking chair with the Detroit section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). In both roles, Sullivan will work to facilitate meaningful connections between experienced female engineers and women at the beginning of their technical careers to promote mentorship and support. Sullivan also co-chairs the planning committee for the upcoming 2018 Spring Conference hosted by the IEEE Southeastern Michigan. The Conference is titled “Government Rules and Regulations within Engineering” and will feature presentations from leading regulation and compliance experts within both industry and government on a multitude of topics, such as, development of state and federal regulations, establishing and monitoring compliance, and emergence of industry-driven best practices.
Sullivan has been involved with SWE since her days studying electrical engineering at Kettering University in Flint. Earlier this year, she presented at the SWE Regional Conference, held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In her presentation, “Invent Like a Girl,” Sullivan focused on a sizeable disparity between the number of named inventors that are men and the number that are women. In the presentation, Sullivan encouraged young women engineers to pursue active roles in developing and securing intellectual property on behalf of their employers by becoming familiar with relevant internal processes and forming peer teams to brainstorm ideas.
Prior to joining the firm, Sullivan was a service engineer for an automotive manufacturer where she identified and resolved product concerns on vehicles with hybrid and high-voltage propulsion systems. Sullivan is a registered patent attorney and focuses her practice on preparing and prosecuting patent applications in electrical and electromechanical systems. Her practice also covers a wide range of technologies in the automotive and consumer electronics industries.
Sullivan holds a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan (Dearborn) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Kettering University.
For more information, visit the SWE website or the IEEE website.
About Brooks Kushman P.C.
Brooks Kushman P.C. is a leading intellectual property (IP) and technology law firm, and represents clients nationally and internationally with respect to protection, enforcement and monetization of IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. The firm has more than 90 intellectual property professionals specializing in various technical disciplines, and has a reputation for providing leading IP counseling with a focus on the business objectives of their clients.
Brooks Kushman counts a number of Fortune 100 companies across a variety of industries among its clients. The firm is also recognized by leading legal publications and rankings, including Corporate Counsel magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Law360, Intellectual Asset Management, Managing Intellectual Property, and Intellectual Property Today. For more information, please visit www.BrooksKushman.com.
