Robert Cresanti, former undersecretary for technology and chief privacy officer at the Commerce Department, has joined Ocean Tomo as managing director in charge of the company’s market indexes, the company announced today. 

Cresanti will also play a role in the development of Ocean Tomo's affiliate, Intellectual Property Exchange Chicago, as its chief executive. 

As undersecretary at Commerce and chief of the Technology Administration (TA), he worked closely with the undersecretary for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Cresanti's advised the secretary of Commerce on the effect of changes to patent policy regarding issues of competitiveness and innovation. Cresanti was also the government’s highest deciding official on patent disputes between agencies and inventors employed by the government. 

While he was undersecretary, Cresanti led about 3,000 TA employees in maximizing competitiveness and innovation in the government and technology industry. He was co-chairman of the Committee on Technology and the Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing Research and Development within the President's National Science and Technology Council. 

Previously Cresanti held senior executive and legal positions at two technology trade associations in Washington. Earlier in his career, he was staff director at the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem. His experience in writing banking and securities legislation for the House and Senate Banking committees helped him rise to staff director at the Senate committee’s Financial Services and Technology Subcommittee.