Dan is an intellectual property (IP) Specialist with the IP Cell of Experts (IPCoE)—under the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology) (ASA(ALT)) and within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategy and Acquisition Reform (DASA(SAR)). His primary focus is to assist program teams with IP strategy and implementation, and presently, he is assigned to support Program Executive Office (PEO) Command, Control, and Communications—Tactical (C3T), PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, & Sensors (IEW&S), and PEO Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (STRI). His support includes tailored strategic planning during all program phases, as well as practical problem solving—enabling the Army to acquire the data and IP rights it needs while balancing those acquisitions with the needs of industry.
Before joining DASA(SAR), Dan was an IP Attorney in the IP Law Division at the Army Materiel Command (AMC) Legal Center at the Detroit Arsenal. He prepared and prosecuted patent applications for inventors within U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC). He also provided legal counsel to GVSC project leads and program teams [PEO Ground Combat Systems (GCS) and PEO Combat Support and Combat Service Support (CS & CSS)] across a wide variety of IP issues, including: execution of the IP strategy, review/counsel regarding pre-solicitation documents, review/counsel of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)-based contracts, review/counsel Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, creation of IP terms and conditions for a new GVSC OTA base agreement, evaluation/counsel regarding the use of open-source software (OSS) and other commercial licenses, evaluation of post-award licenses and markings, and for protests involving IP, the development of a response strategy for Associate Command Counsel (Redstone Arsenal) and repeated dispute resolution support.
Prior to coming to the Army, Dan was in private practice with several boutique IP law firms for nearly a decade in the metro-Detroit area as an IP Attorney with a focus in patent and trademark prosecution. His patent practice covered a wide range of technologies, including: automotive connectivity and safety systems, situational awareness and autonomous vehicle control, vehicle fuel systems, mobile telecommunications, light and optical devices, small engine carburetors, and defense industry special projects. Other aspects of his patent practice included prior art search and analysis supporting patentability, invalidity, and freedom to operate matters. Additionally, his experience extended to trademark opposition and litigation support. Dan devoted significant time to the public. He planned, organized, and executed three World IP Day events (two of which he served on the Executive Board). Concurrently, he served multiple years in the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association (MIPLA), wherein he ultimately served as its President and on its Board.
Prior to private practice, Dan worked for General Dynamics Land Systems in its Sights and Electro-Optical Sensors (SEOS) Group of its Firepower Department. He supported Program Offices in the design, development, and testing of the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Mounted Combat System (MCS) Dynamic Muzzle Reference Sensor (DMRS). He also contributed significantly to multiple Abrams M1A1 and Abrams M1A2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) projects—including Tank Urban Survivability Kit (TUSK), improved Driver Periscope design, and the Abrams’ Rear Taillight Camera.
Dan earned both a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan. And he is licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan and before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.