Yvette Clarke Thornton

| Registered Patent Agent , U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

Innovation is the cornerstone of Clarke Innovations LLC, a company revolutionizing the landscape of intellectual property and technological advancement. Yvette’s mission is to cultivate the synergy between engineering and IP, champion various perspectives in patenting, and foster innovation-driven cultures within organizations.


Driven by her experiences as the Director of Patent Development at Comcast NBCUniversal, Yvette is an astute and strategic leader. In this role, Yvette collaborated with engineers and leaders to capture groundbreaking ideas across all organizational levels. Her influence extended beyond ideation; Yvette developed and scaled the company’s internal patent development process, established the Patent Review Committee, and implemented an Employee Recognition Program that laid the foundation for a culture of innovation.


Entry into the world of intellectual property began at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where Yvette served as a Primary Patent Examiner, specializing in Photoresist Compositions. This experience provided her with a deep understanding of the patenting process from the examiner’s perspective. She then honed her skills as a Patent Agent at Sedna Patent Services, managing a international portfolio of over 1,000 active matters, demonstrating her ability to handle complex intellectual property challenges at scale.


At the helm of Clarke Innovations LLC, Yvette continues to champion ingenuity. She works tirelessly to bridge the gap between engineering and intellectual property through education, creativity and forward-thinking approaches. Her unique blend of technical expertise, strategic vision, data analytics and unwavering commitment to heterogeneity has established her as a true trailblazer in the field. Yvette continues to shape the future by helping to invent tomorrow, today.



Skills

Cross-functional Collaboration
95
Facilitation
90
Learning & Development
82
Operational Improvement
87
Patent Development and Managment
98
Process Optimization
85
Time Management
92

Education

B.S., Chemistry | Norfolk State University | Norfolk, VA

Dozoretz National Institute for Mathematics and Applied Sciences (DNIMAS) Scholar


M.S., Chemistry | The University of Virginia | Charlottesvile, VA

Thesis: “Interactions of luminescent dyes and inorganic metal complexes: Analytical applications of DNA sequences and pH sensoring”

Certifications

  • Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract Certification, Harvard University (January 2025)
  • Product Management: Building a Product Strategy, LinkedIn Learning (February 2024)
  • AI Productivity Hacks to Reimagine Your Workday and Career
  • Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, LinkedIn Learning (March 2023)
  • Lean Technology Strategy: Managing the Innovation Portfolio, LinkedIn Learning (May 2022)
  • Managing Innovation, LinkedIn Learning (December 2020)

Accolades

  • The WICT Network Global Chapter of the Year (2024)
  • The WICT Network Global President of the Year (2023)
  • The WICT Network Global Chapter of the Year (2023)
  • Keynote Speaker: USPTO Signature Authority Graduation (2020)
  • The WICT Network: Greater Philadelphia Communicator Award
  • Graduate: F.I.N.D. Group Coaching Program
  • Graduate: Half the Sky Leadership Institute

Affiliations

The WICT Network (Global)

The WICT Network: Greater Philadelphia

The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC)

The POWER of Professional Women