The Alliance of U.S. Startups and Inventors for Jobs (USIJ) proudly congratulates our Executive Director, Chris Israel, on being selected as the 2026 recipient of the Paul Michel Award by IPWatchdog.
Presented annually, the Paul Michel Award honors leaders in the intellectual property community who exemplify principled leadership, mentorship, and selfless service in advancing fairness and integrity in the IP system. Chris’s decades-long career in public service, innovation policy, and advocacy reflects these values and underscores his enduring commitment to protecting American inventors and strengthening the U.S. patent system.
Chris is a nationally recognized voice on intellectual property and innovation policy. He now joins a distinguished group of past honorees that includes Bob Taylor, USIJ’s General Counsel and the 2025 recipient of the Paul Michel Award, as well as former USPTO Directors David Kappos and Andrei Iancu.
Chris will be honored at IPWatchdog LIVE 2026 in March. USIJ is proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.