Heidi S. Nebel Appointed to the National Plant Variety Protection BoardOctober 6, 2020 The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the appointment of Heidi S. Nebel, Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney, Managing Member, and Chair of the Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group at McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, to serve on the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Board. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the PVP Board is “composed of 14 members that include farmers, plant breeders, seed industry experts, university professors, and lawyers who have involvement with plant varieties and/or their use”. The mission of the PVP Board is “to provide direction to the PVP Office which ultimately influences the development of new plant varieties by providing an incentive (through intellectual property protection) to the breeders of these varieties”. The PVP Board was created by the Plant Variety Protection Act as a way for stakeholders to provide feedback and advice to the Plant Variety Protection Office. Heidi has been an IP attorney for over 25 years, obtaining patents and designing IP strategy in the areas of agricultural biotechnology, plants, and animals. Heidi also enjoys being an advocate of biotechnology, speaking around the country on important issues in the field. Her practice includes representation of more than 30 different universities and research foundations across the country, as well as many Agribusiness companies. Heidi also serves on the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Board of Directors. Heidi will serve on the PVP Board until September 24, 2022. Additional details on this announcement can be found at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/content/usda-announces-plant-variety-protection-board-appointments ← Return to Filewrapper