PIJIP is excited to announce the launch of our new Alumni Council, which will participate in the planning and development of initiatives that grow the Program’s place as one of the top places in the world to study and research intellectual property and technology law.

A key purpose of the Council is to assure that PIJIP’s academic program remains forward-looking and connected to major networks in private and non-profit practice, the corporate world, and government. The members of the Advisory Council are committed to helping students in a variety of ways, including mentoring, networking, assisting with job searches, and offering course advice. The Advisory Council members also help shape the curriculum to be focused on the needs of lawyers in the coming decades. 

Director, Susan Mann ('86)

Susan Mann ’86 is the Senior Director for Intellectual Policy at Microsoft, Corporation, overseeing engagement on intellectual property issues, including patent, copyright and trademark matters.  Before joining Microsoft in 2008, she served as Principal at Griffin, Johnson, Dover & Stewart where she Provided government affairs advice and resources for companies and associations in the music, motion picture and publishing industries.

Early in her career, Susan didn’t know which area of law she wanted to pursue. She considered practicing family law, and before coming to AUWCL, found herself working as a regulatory analyst for a trade association in the mining industry. It’s a far leap from her current role as senior director of intellectual property policy for Microsoft, and it’s a role she may have never found her way to had she not taken advantage of some unexpected opportunities after attending AUWCL.

For five years, Mann served as a public policy advocate for the National Music Publishers Association. Through that experience, she developed a deeper expertise in copyright and intellectual property law and policy, which eventually became her career path.

Now, having spent nearly 40 years practicing law in various settings, including 17 years at Microsoft, Mann is eager to use her expertise to lead, mentor, and inspire the next generation of law professionals.
She is a WCL grad, a friend of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and a mentor to WCL students.  

Alumni Advisory Council Members

Olivia Bedi '05
Attorney, Neal Gerber Eisenberg

Prietta Booker '18
Associate Director, Business & Legal Affairs, 300 Entertainment

Rachel Weiner Cohen '05
Partner, Lathan & Watkins

Yoonhee Kim '14
Partner, Finnegan

Nishan Kottahachchi '02
Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Paramount

J "Jay" Warren Lytle
Partner, Sughrue Mion PLLC

Melissa Maalouf '07
Shareholder, ZwillGen

Bijan Madhani '13
Director, Privacy & Data Policy, Meta

Michael Moore '96    
Associate General Counsel & Senior Director, Mattel

Anita B. Polott    '93
Co-Managing Partner, Morgan Lewis

Lena Saltos '10    
Deputy General Counsel, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Ali Sternburg '12
Vice President, Information Policy, Computer & Communications Industry Association

Jonathan Stroud '13
General Counsel, Unified Patents

Heidi Tandy '95
Partner, Berger Singerman

Jessica Thomson '11
Patent Counsel, Disney