Russ Slifer

Russ Slifer is the current Principal at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner. Russ has also worked as the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO, and as the Chief Patent Counsel for Micron Technology.

Russ was appointed by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in March 2015 as the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO. As Deputy, Russ performed as the Chief Operating Officer responsible for managing all operations of the USPTO, which has 12,500 employees, four regional offices, and a $3.2B annual budget.

At Micron Technology, Russ managed the company’s extensive patent portfolio while establishing operational budgets. Russ also formulated the company’s portfolio development strategy to ensure alignment with the company's business priorities, including the purposeful development of the company’s patent portfolio. Russ collaborated with business units in discovering, developing and managing new innovations. Russ also worked with other senior executives to understand the businesses’ strategic objectives and provide business solutions through the strategic use of patents.

Russ Slifer has a JD from Northern Illinois University and a BSEE from Iowa State University.

Russ Slifer reports to Micheal Schwegman, Founding Partner, Principal. They work with Christopher Brittain - Principal, John Fischer - Principal, and Marc Hanish - Principal.