Women in the Chemical Enterprise Networking Breakfast

The Women Chemists Committee hosted the Women in the Chemical Enterprise Breakfast on Monday, August 18 that featured keynote speaker Kirby Drake, Founder of Kirby Drake Law PLLC, who presented “The Elements of Change: How the Chemistry Lab Led Me to Patent Practice” to 189 attendees. Since 2002, Kirby has focused her efforts on helping clients successfully navigate their intellectual property (IP) challenges. She thrives on troubleshooting IP issues. She also enjoys being an advisor to clients when they need assistance in identifying, protecting, and leveraging their IP. Kirby has a special focus on the patent process, as she is a registered patent attorney. The patent system can be complicated, and Kirby helps clients be more comfortable and understand what inventions they can protect and how best to protect them. These inventions can be wide-reaching, and Kirby endeavors to make the patent process accessible to all, whether a start-up or a Fortune 500 company. Kirby utilizes checklists and forms and manages deadlines, sweating even the small stuff when it comes to IP for her clients so they can focus on growing and managing their businesses. Most recently she was named a 2025 Fellow of the American Chemical Society.