Glorimar Maldonado is the first-ever Diversity Officer for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce. She adapted Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) educational opportunities to the agency’s mostly remote workforce to ensure employees remain engaged and connected. Glorimar helps plan and implement the USPTO’s annual Community Day hybrid event and revamped the Diversity Program’s internal web pages. She cohosts an internal-facing podcast, The Diversity Download, with the EEO Director, covering various DEIA topics. All employees complete Unconscious Bias training. Glorimar collaborates with Human Resources to offer bootcamp sessions to employees interested in pursuing a senior executive position.
To inform programming, Glorimar uses employee feedback via pulse and annual surveys and HR data collection systems. As co-chair of the agency’s DEIA Advisors and Ambassadors Council, she inventoried all internal and external DEIA practices in each business unit to avoid duplicating efforts. Glorimar views the employee experience holistically, from onboarding to retirement. She works to enhance the experience through intentional connections among employees, mentoring and coaching, professional development/training, and including alumni in helping to strengthen the talent pipeline. As a leader, Glorimar stays focused, resilient, and flexible, and remains open to change.