The Myth of the Meritocracy Part 2 - Countering Myths and Overcoming Bias

Alex Lodge (he/him/his) is a Louisiana native, but he has made the Midwest his home. After finishing his degree in Chemistry at Grambling State University, Alex moved to Iowa to pursue a doctorate in Organic Chemistry. After finishing his doctorate, Alex pursued a law degree at the University of Iowa College of Law. Alex is currently IP Counsel with Cargill, Inc. His experience includes patent procurement, handling both U.S. and foreign patent prosecution, assessing risk mitigation through freedom-to-operate and invalidity opinions and IP patent portfolio management. Alex enjoys music, family, friends, reading, and being engaged in the community. Alex is actively involved as a mentor, the Kappa Alpha Psi Guide Right Program, and leads pro bono efforts related to conviction expungement, arrest record correction, and pardons in the Greater Madison, Wisconsin area. Alex is a recipient of the State Bar of Wisconsin Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award, Urban League of Greater Madison Rising Star Award, and Wisconsin Law Journal’s Up and Coming Lawyer Award.

Denise A. Robinson (she/her) is a diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) and well-being consultant, yoga teacher, and former practicing labor & employment attorney. Through her consultancy, The Still Center LLC, Denise performs cultural assessments, provides strategic advice, and delivers training on DEI, well-being, and other talent development topics. In addition, she has directed benchmarking surveys and other think tank projects to advance DEI in the workplace. Before starting her consultancy, Denise served as the Director of Diversity & Inclusion for O’Melveny & Myers LLP and subsequently, the Diversity Officer for the International Monetary Fund. Denise has been teaching yoga asana and meditation classes for over a decade and applies her knowledge and experience with these contemplative practices to her DEI work. Denise earned her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College, and she is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, where she served as the chapter president of the Black Law Students Association and a student advocate in the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. 

Sanjiv Sarwate is Senior Legal Director - Trademarks with Dell Technologies and has been with Dell since April 2011. Before that, he was in private practice in Chicago specializing in trademark and copyright law. He is the primary attorney with responsibility over trademarks at Dell, with an emphasis on anticounterfeiting and online trademark enforcement. He is a frequent speaker on trademark issues, including before the US Patent and Trademark Office, the European Intellectual Property Office, and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, as well as a past chair and current member of IPO’s Anti-Counterfeiting Committee. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a masters’ degree from the University of Chicago.