The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office continues to seed its leadership ranks with private-sector intellectual property lawyers.

Dana Colarulli, the director of government relations for the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), will join the PTO’s Office of Governmental Affairs on Dec. 14. Colarulli will be a legislative attorney-adviser at the government affairs unit and join a team of about a half-dozen professionals, said PTO spokesman Peter Pappas.