Executive Director of the Boca Raton Police Foundation, Debbie Levine, CFRE, ’93 takes great pride in Florida Atlantic. Levine will be recognized on Oct. 18, at Florida Atlantic’s Talon Leadership Awards as the Richard L. Schmidt Alumni Talon Award winner.
Levine will be recognized on Oct. 18, at Florida Atlantic’s Talon Leadership Awards as the Richard L. Schmidt Alumni Talon Award winner. One of the most prestigious honors given at Florida Atlantic, the Talon Awards recognize outstanding students, alumni, faculty and community leadership.
“I was so extremely proud and honored,” Levine said. “I made Boca Raton my home. I love to see how the growth of campus is taking place. Whenever I have family in town, we always drive through campus.”
Boca Raton wasn’t always home for Levine, though. She grew up in New Jersey and decided to migrate south to Florida Atlantic for her undergraduate degree. During her time at Florida Atlantic, she majored in art history, while also volunteering with the program board, helping coordinate on-campus shows featuring performers such as Jon Stewart, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Live.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Levine stayed local, taking a job at the Children’s Science Explorium in Boca Raton. Her career quickly evolved from there, however, on a chance encounter.
“When I was working at the Children’s Science Explorium, they needed someone to write a grant for them, and I had always been a creative writer, so I said ‘Let me give it a try.’ The grant was funded, and they said, ‘You’re our new grant writer.’”
She continued to grow in that field, later becoming a grants manager, a development officer and now Executive Director for the Boca Raton Police Foundation.
“It was something I found myself good at, and I found a passion for what I do.”
If you’re interested in attending the Talon Leadership Awards, please click here.
