Suzan G. LeVine
Assistant Secretary for Employment & Training
Acting
Assumed office
January 28, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJohn Pallach
United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein
In office
June 5, 2014 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byDon Beyer
Succeeded byEd McMullen
Personal details
Born
Suzan Gail Davidson

(1969-11-17) November 17, 1969
Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEric LeVine
Children2
EducationBrown University (BA)

Suzan Gail LeVine (born November 17, 1969) is an American businesswoman and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 2014 to 2017.

Early life and education

LeVine was born near Philadelphia and grew up in Ventnor City, New Jersey. In 1993, she earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering with aerospace applications and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brown University.[1] She also received an honorary doctorate from EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, in October 2017.[2]

Career

Information technology

Her career started in technology with college summer internships at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon's Data Storage System's Center. She then started her first full-time job working on operating systems at Microsoft in 1993 where she worked on MS-DOS and then helped launch Windows 95. She ran communications for the Expedia IPO and stayed with Expedia until 2005, becoming Vice President of Sales & Marketing in the Luxury Travel Division. In 2009, she went back to Microsoft and focused on education until 2012.

Non-profit

In 2006, she and Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum co-founded the Kavana Cooperative. The same year, she co-founded the advisory board for the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the University of Washington with Bill Henningsgaard.[3]

Democratic Fundraiser

Suzan "Suzi" LeVine was Democratic Party Fundraiser for the Obama-Biden 2008 and 2012 campaigns [4]

Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein

LeVine was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein on May 30, 2014, and took up her position in Bern on June 2, 2014.[5] LeVine took her oath of office while placing a hand on a Kindle containing the U.S. Constitution and, thereby, became the first U.S. official to be sworn in on an e-reader.[6][7] She resigned her post in Bern on January 20, 2017.[8] On July 9, 2018, she joined Governor Jay Inslee's cabinet as the new Commissioner of the Employment Security Department.[9]

During her tenure, LeVine worked to expand foreign direct investment (FDI) into the U.S.,[10][11] counter violent extremism,[12] enable American citizens in Switzerland to regain access to banking services,[13] and advance a global diversity dialogue.[14] She also advocated for female participation in entrepreneurship and technical fields, supporting women in both corporations and universities.[15][16][17][18]

Apprenticeship

While in Switzerland, she was instrumental in the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent between Switzerland and the United States to collaborate on apprenticeship[19] and partnered with 30 companies to bring and/or expand their Swiss style apprenticeship model into the United States.[20] She also secured billions of dollars in investment and hundreds of jobs into the United States[21] – with $3B alone announced at a special White House round table she catalyzed with Swiss business and government leaders.[22]

During their time in Switzerland, Ambassador LeVine and her husband, Eric LeVine, hosted a number of visitors from the United States to view the Swiss system. Most notable was a delegation from Colorado led by Governor John Hickenlooper.[23]

Since returning from Switzerland, LeVine and her husband have been speaking across the U.S. and around the globe at events, round-tables, and with individuals in government, academia, business, and philanthropy about what can be learned, derived, and applied from the Swiss dual education system.[24][25] She and her husband are convinced that there are many pathways to success, and that an "Apprenticeship Renaissance," as she calls it, is a key to the long-term economic growth in the United States and a key to more people than ever achieving their American Dream.[26]

She now serves on the CareerWise Colorado board,[27] the Markle Foundation's Rework America Task Force,[28] ETH's CEMETS International Advisory Board,[29] and the Seattle Region Partnership. She also served on Governor Inslee's Career Connect Taskforce[30] which completed its work and made its recommendations Feb 20, 2018.[31]

ESD Commissioner

As the commissioner for the Washington State Employment and Security Department, LeVine led an agency that is responsible for the state's unemployment insurance system, the new paid family and medical leave program, the funding administration for the WorkSource system, the labor market information, aspects of the H-2A and H-2B foreign guest worker programs, and the Washington State Service Corps program. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the ESD was the target of an international fraud scheme. 87,000 claims worth $650,000,000 was sent overseas to fraudulent accounts.[32] Additionally, thousands of letters were sent to Washingtonians who received unemployment alleging they owed thousands of dollars back to the government, threatening legal action if not repaid. LeVine and Governor Jay Inslee were difficult to be reached during this time for assistance, and LeVine abruptly resigned soon after, complaining about Paul Roberts' coverage of her embattled tenure running the ESD.

She is a member of the Council of American Ambassadors.[33]

Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration (ETA)

In 2021, LeVine served as the acting Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) under the Biden administration.[34] She resigned after seven months citing the job's impact on her family.[35]

Civic engagement

LeVine has volunteered as a community organizer and resource raiser for several Democratic campaigns, most notably, for Obama for America. She currently serves as a Deputy National Finance Chair for the DNC[36] and as an Advisory Council Member for the NDRC (National Democratic Redistricting Council).

Personal life

She and her husband, Eric LeVine, CEO of CellarTracker, have two children, Sidney and Talia LeVine.

References

  1. ↑ "Ambassador Suzan G. LeVine | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  2. ↑ Aubort, Sarah (2017-07-10). "994 nouveaux diplômés à l'EPFL" (in French).
  3. ↑ "Remembering Bill Henningsgaard | Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS)". ilabs.uw.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  4. ↑ "How Democratic Party fundraiser and former ambassador Suzi LeVine came to run Washington state's embattled unemployment system". 2 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "LeVine, Suzan". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  6. ↑ "U.S. ambassador sworn into office via Kindle". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  7. ↑ "Ambassador LeVine Donates eReader to Museum für Kommunikation in Bern | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  8. ↑ swissinfo.ch, Anand Chandrasekhar. "US ambassador to leave on presidential inauguration day - SWI swissinfo.ch". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  9. ↑ "Inslee names former Ambassador Suzi LeVine as new Employment Security Department Commissioner | Governor Jay Inslee". www.governor.wa.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  10. ↑ "Fact Sheet --The White House -- Swiss Foreign Direct Investment in the United States". Department of Commerce. 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  11. ↑ "The etiquette of meeting an United States ambassador › Boonea". Boonea. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  12. ↑ Council, The Federal. "Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter to attend Washington summit on countering violent extremism". www.admin.ch. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  13. ↑ "Banking Resources | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  14. ↑ "Ambassador LeVine and Eric LeVine Participate in Zurich Pride | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  15. ↑ TEDx Talks (2017-01-19), Why Diversity Matters | Suzie LeVine & Eric LeVine | TEDxZurich, retrieved 2018-03-18
  16. ↑ "An evening of code - for beginners". events.codeweek.eu. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  17. ↑ "Geek of the Week: U.S. Ambassador Suzan LeVine draws on tech experience to enlighten and engage". GeekWire. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  18. ↑ "Ambassador LeVine Visits the Adolphe Merkle Institute at the University of Fribourg | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  19. ↑ "Secretary Pritzker signs a joint declaration of intent between the U.S. and Switzerland with Swiss Vice President Johann Schneider-Ammann on apprenticeships, building skills, and expanding careers". Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  20. ↑ "More Swiss Companies Bring Apprenticeship Programs to the U.S. | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  21. ↑ "ABB unveils robot manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills". Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  22. ↑ "Leading Swiss Executives Announce Plans to Invest, Bring Apprenticeships to the U.S. During White House Meeting | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  23. ↑ "Colorado Governor Hickenlooper Visits Switzerland | U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein". U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  24. ↑ "Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper: Workforce development success requires innovation". Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  25. ↑ "Nevada ramping up apprenticeship programs". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2017-07-15. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  26. ↑ "An American Apprenticeship Renaissance is in the Making". Department of Commerce. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  27. ↑ "Team". CareerWise. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  28. ↑ "Rework America Task Force". Markle | Advancing America's Future. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  29. ↑ "People". www.cemets.ethz.ch. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  30. ↑ "careerconnectwa_taskforce". wtb.wa.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  31. ↑ Office, WA Governor's (2018-02-20). "Task force outlines next steps for bolstering apprenticeships, career-connected learning in…". Medium. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  32. ↑ "Agency: Nearly 87,000 bogus unemployment claims filed in Washington state". The Seattle Times. 3 August 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Council of American Ambassadors". Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  34. ↑ "Washington state's departing unemployment boss to manage unemployment program in U.S. Labor Department, report says". The Seattle Times. 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  35. ↑ "Former Washington state employment chief leaves job in Biden Labor Department". The Seattle Times. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  36. ↑ "Oct. 11, 2017 DNC Press Release - Tom Perez Announces New DNC Deputy National Finance Chairs". www.p2016.org. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
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