BRAND PROTECTION STRATEGY SUMMIT
SPEAKER
BIOS
PARTNERSHIPS SPEAKERS
Bill Ross has 30 years investigative and management experience with U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations
(HSI) and the its legacy agency U.S. Customs Service. Prior to his current
assignment as the HSI Deputy Director at the National IPR Center, Mr. Ross served
in several senior management positions for HSI to include serving as the Acting
Deputy Assistant Director for the Information Management Directorate with direct
oversight of the agency’s Technical Operations Unit, Data Management Unit and
agency Information Technology (IT) modernization efforts. Prior to this assignment,
Mr. Ross served as the Unit Chief for the Technical Operations Unit with oversight for
developing and implementing agency policy for technical operations and Title III
intercepts and the Asset Forfeiture unit with oversight for developing and implementing
agency policy with regards to criminal seizures and forfeitures. Mr. Ross’ first assignment
at HSI Headquarters was as a Unit Chief at the National IPR Center overseeing both the
IP and Global Outreach and Training Units. During this time he led the development of
several key HSI programs including Operation In Our Sites, targeting websites selling
counterfeit merchandise; Operation Chain Reaction, targeting counterfeit items entering
the government and critical infrastructure supply chains and; the creation of the Federal
Acquisition Counterfeit Awareness Training course. Prior to his assignment to HSI
Headquarters, Mr. Ross served for four years as a Section Chief at the ICE Academy at the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia with oversight of the basic
training program of all HSI Special Agents. Mr. Ross began his career as a US Customs
Service Special Agent, serving for twenty years in the Charleston, SC area conducting
criminal investigations involving intellectual property, commercial fraud, money laundering,
narcotics smuggling, counter-proliferation and anti-terrorism. In addition to other awards, Mr.
Ross is the recipient of the 2011 ICE Director’s, Excellence in Law Enforcement Award for the
development of and extraordinary achievement of Operation In Our Sites which targets
websites engaged in the distribution of counterfeit products via internet websites and the
2013 U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Intellectual Property Champions Award for the
development of innovative enforcement operations including Operation In Our Sites.
David Potter has been an Assistant State’s Attorney in Chicago, Cook County for over 7 years.
David is currently working under a grant as the sole IP Prosecutor for the Cook County State’s
Attorney’s Office in the Special Prosecutions Bureau. He is building relationships in the IPR
community to take cases from investigation, to indictment, to trial. Prior to being assigned to the
Special Prosecutions Bureau, David was assigned to the Narcotics Bureau prosecuting drug and
gun cases. Previously he was assigned to the Felony Review Unit, making charging decisions on
felony cases. He also worked in the Presiding Judge’s courtroom handling expungements,
fitness cases and other litigation at the Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California in Chicago.
David was one of 8 ASAs assigned to the Community Justice Unit and helped develop
community programs and address concerns of the West Side Community in which he worked.
David started his career in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuting misdemeanor
cases in the City of Chicago. David is also a computer enthusiast and father of three wonderful
children.
Goli Gharib is an Attorney-Advisor in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Branch, in the office
of Regulations and Rulings (RR), within the Office of Trade (OT), of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP), at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She is responsible for
making substantive trademark and copyright infringement determinations, issuing binding
rulings regarding infringement matters, and providing advice and training to field officers on
infringement issues. In addition, she has primary oversight of CBP’s recordation system. Prior
to joining CBP, Goli served as a Trademark-Examining Attorney at the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office. Since joining CBP in 2003, in addition to the IPR Branch, she has also worked
in the Trade & Commercial Regulations Branch, and in the Cargo Security & Carriers Branch.
Goli received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida and her Juris
Doctorate from Florida State University. She is a member of the bar in Florida and the District
of Columbia.
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