Comments:
I never imagined that majoring in chemistry could lead to a career outside the laboratory, reading, writing and speaking about intellectual property. I fell into scientific information research in 1970, while Bill was flying fighters in Southeast Asia. I enjoyed the work so much that I went back to it after Bill left active Air Force service, became a registered patent agent, managed information research groups in two companies, co-founded the Patent Information Users Group (PIUG), and won the International Patent Information Award in 2005.
After retiring from Hoechst Marion Roussel (originally Wm. S. Merrell Co.) and Procter & Gamble, I formed Simmons Patent Information Service, LLC, in 2009. The company consists of myself and my husband Bill, who acts as CFO (Chief Financial Officer/Chief Flying Officer). I do contract patent searches, conduct workshops, and consult with database producers on search service features. I've been attending conferences in the U.S. and Europe, managing somehow to keep at least as busy after retirement as I was while I was working full time and earning a full paycheck. But this is much better - no performance reviews!
My next big adventure will be a short trip in July to Abuja, Nigeria. WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) is holding workshops on patent information in less developed countries, and they asked PIUG to send experts to help with training. I've been coordinating our volunteers, and this is the first country I'll be taking for myself.
