2025 Newsletter: October-December

December 31, 2025

IPO Education Foundation’s 2025 Awards Celebration

IPO Education Foundation held its annual  on December 16 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC, emceed by IPOEF President Henry Hadad (Bristol Myers Squibb Company) and IPOEF board member Erika Arner (Finnegan). The annual event honors accomplishments in the fields of IP, innovation, and creativity. Thank you to the attendees from all over the world who gathered to celebrate the honorees and promote the value of the IP system. Learn more about the 2025 honorees below.

Inventor of the Year

IPO Education Foundation’s Inventor of the Year award recognizes the world’s most outstanding recent inventors and how they benefit the nation’s economy and quality of life. The Foundation honored Erin and Lee Hanson, Founders of Guardian Sports, for their inventions impacting sports safety. In 2010, Lee and Erin established Guardian after creating the Guardian Cap, a revolutionary soft-shell helmet cover that has since become mandatory for NFL teams during contact practices. This innovation marked the beginning of Guardian’s impactful journey, expanding their product line to include PEARL lacrosse balls, the LOOP headband, Guardian Chinstrap, Guardian Infill, and Guardian Pad, all recognized for their contributions to enhancing player safety and sustainability in sports. Committed to their mission, Lee and Erin continue to drive Guardian’s success, impacting athletes across all levels of sports. Watch the tribute video  to learn more about the 2025 Inventors of the Year.

 

The Inventors of the Year were featured in various media outlets, reaching over 180 million people in all 50 states. From local newspapers to live news interviews, they were able to reach an even greater audience to share about the importance of sports safety and most importantly, the IP protections that have allowed them to make their impact. The Guardian Cap was featured in an article in the  about Detroit Lions players using Guardian Caps in game and in practice. Erin and Lee also spoke to KOMU 8, a local news station in Missouri, in  about the first SEC player to wear a Guardian Cap in game and the impact of the increased use of the Guardian Cap in college sports.
Photo Credit: IAM

IP Champion

The IP Champion award recognizes extraordinary leadership in advocating for the value of intellectual property to stimulate the progress of innovation. The 2025 honorees, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), have been strong bipartisan advocates for the value of intellectual property rights, working together to modernize and strengthen the U.S. IP system in support of American innovation. They co-sponsored the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA), which they intend to provide more clarity and consistency in determining patent subject matter eligibility. They also co-sponsored the PREVAIL Act to reform the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), seeking to ensure the rules that govern patent review proceedings at the USPTO are fair and aligned with the standards for district court litigation. As leaders in the IP policy space, Senators Tillis and Coons have championed initiatives that seek to protect creators, encourage investment, and secure the United States’ global leadership in innovation. Listen  to the Senator’s acceptance speeches where they emphasize the importance of bipartisan advocacy for a strong IP system.

 

The IP Champions were also featured in multiple , emphasizing their work on legislation that advocates for the U.S. being the leader that ensures inventors are protected from start to finish.

Executive of the Year

The Foundation honored Cathy Engelbert, Commissioner of the WNBA, as the  for her commitment to the creation, promotion, and protection of intellectual property. Ms. Engelbert has played a pivotal role in advancing the importance of IP, particularly through her leadership bolstering the brand of the WNBA. Since becoming the league’s first Commissioner in 2019, she has led a major business transformation that has notably amplified the visibility and strengthened the brand identity of the WNBA. As Commissioner, she has secured key partnerships that expanded the league’s digital presence and media coverage, including purpose-driven initiatives designed to advance women through sports, elevate the WNBA’s brand, and have an impact on the community. She raised significant outside investment to fund transformation efforts and negotiated media agreements that set a new benchmark for women’s sports. Cathy has overseen league growth and introduced new events to generate additional revenue and exposure. She has improved the player and fan experience, driving strong increases in viewership and sponsorship while ensuring players have greater opportunities to build their own brands. Learn more about the Executive of the Year .

The event featured a live fundraising campaign that raised over $50,000 to support the Foundation. Thank you to all the attendees who donated! Foundation programs and activities such as ,  and  are not possible without the support of donors. Donations received during the event will help IPOEF to reach larger audiences, form new partnerships, and expand both existing and new IP education resources. We look forward to sharing more about the activities made possible by our generous donors in the coming months.

IP Buddy Continues to Reach Students Across the Country

IP Buddy, a conversational, AI-powered tool, delivers quick, reliable answers tailored to your questions about patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. This free resource is engaging, fun, and accessible to anyone curious about IP or innovation. Since the Foundation launched IP Buddy in May 2025, over 26,000 questions have been answered in over 7,500 sessions across all 50 states. The Foundation attended the AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers) Western Region Meeting in September in Salt Lake City to share this resource with tech transfer professionals and researchers. As a free and exhaustive resource for IP fundamentals and building IP literacy, these professionals and researchers were excited and engaged, with many trying to stump IP Buddy with no luck! Read more about the impact on the tech transfer community in this 

 

Don’t forget to try IP Buddy yourself at  and experience why this resource is so revolutionary when it comes to IP education.

Empowering Educators Through Direct IP Education

In August, the Foundation launched , a free, interactive tutorial designed to make understanding intellectual property simple, engaging, and accessible to all. IP Made Easy is for teachers looking to bring real-world innovation examples into the classroom, entrepreneurs preparing to protect their next big idea, students curious about how inventions are safeguarded, or simply someone who wants to know how IP shapes our everyday lives. Through real-life stories, easy-to-follow explanations, and relatable examples, the goal is to break down barriers to information so more people of all ages can protect and grow their ideas.

Christine Lawlor-King (pictured left), invention and IP educator, and former teacher, attended the National Association of Science Teacher (NSTA) National Conference in Minneapolis in November and introduced science and STEM teachers from around the country to IP Made Easy. She led a presentation about the resource and, “discussed invention education as a powerful engagement tool and the importance of teaching IP right alongside STEM, entrepreneurship, art, ELA, and many other subjects.” She also led teachers through a hands on creative problem solving activity where they created their own inventions and trademarks, letting them experience firsthand how engaging IP can be.
Through bringing IP education directly to educators, students can be exposed to these fundamental concepts even earlier and have a resource to ask questions or satisfy any curiosities that may come up. Visit  to learn more about IP Made Easy and how it can impact classrooms around the country.

IP Professionals Introduce Essential IP Concepts in Their Local Schools

The  gives IP professionals the tools they need to talk directly to students about essential IP concepts and the importance of IP. It complements STEM programs and can be tailored to different presentation lengths, student ages, and group sizes. With turnkey materials and interactive exercises, it is intended to be a light lift for presenters. Check out IPO members using these materials in their communities and connecting with the next generation of innovators!

Michael Fuerch in Hayesville, NC

IPO Member and member of the 2025 IPOEF Educate Committee, Michael Fuerch (Adeia), visited a local middle school in Hayesville, NC and was able to introduce 6th graders to IP fundamentals. He even customized the toolkit to include additional interactive exercises, getting students engaged and excited about IP!

Ruben Munoz and Gloria Fuentes in Philadelphia, PA

IPOEF board member, Ruben Munoz (Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP) and IPO member Gloria Fuentes (Bristol Myers Squibb Company), went to a local high school in Philadelphia for an annual IP presentation to teach students about the importance of innovation and how to protect their inventions. Students were engaged with the presentation and excited to learn directly from an IP professional.

Johnson & Johnson in the US and China

Johnson & Johnson created an internal program within their IP department with the goal to reach students across the country with IP education, dividing into teams based on geographic location with a designated coordinator for each. Building on last year’s success of reaching over 1,000 students, the program has continued its momentum in 2025, connecting with over 1,000 additional middle school, high school, and college students across the US and China. A huge thank you to each and every Johnson & Johnson employee who has gone out into their communities to introduce the next generation to the importance of IP. Find out more about how you can implement a similar program in your team .

Welcome New IPOEF Board Members

 

Thank You Bronze Donors