Chung K. Pak

Commissioner Chung K. Pak has had a distinguished professional career as a United States Administrative Patent Judge with the U.S. Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and had served as a Corporate Patent Counsel for Praxair, Inc., formerly Union Carbide Corporation.  As one of the most respected patent judges at the U.S. Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, he has adjudicated over 3,000 cases, many involving complex technical and legal issues.  Judge Pak has also lectured at conferences and published articles on those issues.    He has received the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) Special Achievement Award, USPTO Outstanding Performance Award, and many other awards for his distinguished service in the area of patent and intellectual property law. 

Commissioner Pak is also is a highly venerated civic activist and leader in Montgomery County and Maryland.  He has served on the boards and in leadership positions on many non-profit community organizations.  In particular, Judge Pak has served as Co-Chairman of the NAACP (Montgomery Branch) Multicultural Partnership Committee; Commissioner of the Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (Glendening Administration); Board Member of Progressive Maryland, NAACP (Montgomery Branch), Committee for Montgomery, and Montgomery Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board; Chairman of League of Korean Americans of Maryland; and Member of the NAACP Criminal Justice and Police Review Committee (Montgomery Branch), Montgomery County Asian American Police Advisory Committee, Comptroller Peter Franchot’s Transition Team, and County Executive Ike Leggett’s Transition Committee. 

Known as a consensus and bridge builder, Commissioner Pak has worked closely with Latino, African American, Asian Pacific American, labor, religious, and civil rights groups on issues of common concern.  His extraordinary life story has been featured in the Gazette’s:  One of Forty Who Cared and in other news articles.  In an Asian Fortune article, Senator Barbara Mikulski said, “Judge Pak has spent a lifetime fighting injustice and inequality.  His story is truly an embodiment of the American dream and an example of leadership with compassion and commitment to public service.”  For his outstanding service to his community, he was inducted into Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame and received Progressive Maryland’s Progressive Leader Award; MCDCC’s Kelsey Cook Volunteer of Year Award; Census Department’s Census Outstanding Volunteer Service Award; Senator Barbara Mikulski’s Certificate of Appreciation; U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen’s Certificate of Special Recognition; Montgomery County Police Department’s Appreciation Award; Maryland Coalition for Recognition of Asian Lunar New Year’s STAR of Maryland Asian Pacific American Community Award; League of Korean Americans of Maryland Outstanding Service Award and Presidential Award; Governor’s Citation for Outstanding Community Service (Glendening and Ehrlich Administrations); USPTO Asian Pacific American Network Leadership Award and many other awards.

Commissioner Pak was appointed to the Commission by Governor O’Malley in July 2007 to fill an unexpired term from 2005.  His term expires in 2010.