USPTO to make Freeland CIO

U.S. Patent and Trademark officials are expected to name David Freeland as the agency's new chief information officer, pending clearance from the Office of Personnel Management.

Freeland, deputy commissioner for management information systems at the Texas Department of Human Services, has 25 years of information technology experience and oversees a staff of 600 career employees. He is credited with setting up a successful project portfolio management repository for the department, among other things.

At USPTO, he would be responsible for a $250 million budget, a staff of 500 career employees and a complex IT environment.

USPTO officials searched for several months to fill the position, which was advertised as being a Senior Executive Service position with a compensation range of $104,927 to $145,600.

If named, Freeland will fill the position left vacant by Doug Bourgeois, who left in September to become director of the Interior Department's National Business Center.

Jon Dudas, USPTO's director, could make the announcement as early as tomorrow, said Brigid Quinn, a USPTO spokeswoman.