March 2003

Glenn Levine studies two of the most strategic and politically volatile regions in the world. Since 1996, Glenn has been researching trade and transportation security issues in the Balkans and the Caucasus. For the past two years, he has been a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Originally from Fairfax, Virginia, Glenn earned his B.A. in international relations from the University of Virginia in 1983. During the three years between UVA and UM Law, he worked for the Republican National Committee (1983-84) and in hotel sales and marketing (1984-86). After graduating from UM Law, Glenn returned to Northern Virginia and entered private practice. 1989 was the start of the S & L failures and Glenn spent his initial seven years after law school practicing bankruptcy law.

In 1996, his wife brought him a position announcement from the American Bar Association. The ABA was looking for a lawyer with bankruptcy experience to send to Bulgaria to advise on factory litigations. Glenn was offered the position and he spent the next year in Sofia, as a commercial law advisor to Bulgaria. After returning to Washington, D.C., Glenn spent the following year as a fellow at the ABA's Central and Eastern European Law Initiative (CEELI), researching energy and transportation issues in the Black and Caspian Sea regions. In May of 1998, through a contract between the U.S. State Department and the American Bar Association, Glenn worked as an advisor to Ambassador Richard Schifter (1998-2001).

Over the past decade, his research has resulted in over a dozen publications and nearly two-dozen presentations. From June 1997 to February 2001, he was a member of the advisory board for the U.S.-Bulgaria Trade Council. From September 2000 to March 2001, he was a Co-Chair of the Border Crossing Working Group of the U.S.-E.U.-Poland Action Commission.

"Miami attracts a lot of students because of its international curriculum. My advice to them is to read broadly and take a wide selection of courses at UM because you never know where your career will take you. I came to Miami with language skills in Spanish and an interest in Latin America. For the past several years, I've spent half my time in the Balkans and I speak a lot more Bulgarian than Spanish."

At UM Law, Glenn was the Managing Editor of the Inter-American Law Review, Co-Chair of the Banking and Business Law Society and a member of the Bar & Gavel Honor Society. The class he remembers most from UM Law was corporate finance. "The corporate finance course with Professor Manning was the most horrifying and humbling course that I've ever taken. However, it was also the most academically rewarding experience that I've ever had. To this day, I am still impressed by Professor Manning's amazing breadth of knowledge on the subject."

This past year, Glenn was a volunteer with Ayuda Inc., a pro-bono legal project that assists immigrants from El Salvador with visa applications. He is also involved in a legislative reform of the D.C. public school system.

Glenn would not mind at all if his career or retirement led him back to South Florida. "Miami is a booming city and my wife is from Miami." Glenn and his wife, Melissa Smith Levine, met in law school at UM. She is currently an art curator for the World Bank. In February, Glenn spent some time on the U.S.-Mexican border studying Mexican trucking issues, perhaps an auspicious sign of a return south.