Debbie Cohn: A Leader in Government Telework For the past 30 years, Debbie Cohn has shown a remarkable commitment to public service, and has, time and again, demonstrated a strong willingness, ability and enthusiasm to lead, and to develop, encourage and implement innovation. The current Commissioner for Trademarks at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Cohn has proven the capability to both develop and implement programs that have led to improved organizational efficiency and effectiveness, making it easier than ever before for the USPTO to accomplish its mission of providing dedicated service to the American public.
Debbie Cohn has received a substantial amount of attention and recognition from policymakers and governmental leaders for her work in the 1997 implementation of the USPTO telework program, the first of its kind in a public institution environment. The development of the Trademark Work at home program, or TWAH, has been of great benefit to the USPTO, and has been recognized by members of Congress as the most progressive and innovative program in use within the Federal Government. Now in use by over 220 USPTO employees, which consists of 85 percent of the USPTO’s eligible examining attorneys, TWAH helps to save the organization in valuable resources, and continues to serve as a model of program efficiency throughout federal government offices. Soon to reach its 20th anniversary, Debbie Cohn’s program has been honored with awards from multiple professional and public organizations, including the Mid-Atlantic Telework Advisory Council, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the International Telework Association and Council. The program also garnered the United States Patent and Trademark Office the 2007 Work-Life Innovative Excellence Award, given to the organization by the Alliance for Work-Life Progress organization. TWAH, as Debbie Cohn knows, continues to be the prototype of innovative telework programs now in use by federal agencies throughout Washington D.C. Cohn’s program, which was only possible through the numerous coalitions she formed with IT personnel, managers and the employee union, was first implemented many years before telework was the norm in Washington. TWAH, and similar telework programs, work towards ensuring that important and vital agency operations continue uninterrupted, and to improve productivity, morale and quality of life amongst the agency’s workforce. Debbie Cohn is proud of the success she was able to achieve with telework innovation, which has helped to forever change the way both the USPTO and various other organizations, in both the public and private sectors, do business, improve efficiency and provide numerous benefits to their respective workforces. Deborah Cohn is retiring in January, 2015.