The College of Public Health is proud to honor Elma Levy (BSN ‘91) with its Distinguished Alumni Award 2023. Levy has taken leadership to the next level as the founder and co-founder of several organizations. She began her career practicing nursing in her native country the Netherlands, Israel, and the United States. She completed her Bachelor of Nursing at George Mason University and her Master of Nursing/ Family Nurse Practitioner degree at Marymount University. She practiced as a family nurse practitioner and now excels as an industrial leadership and serves as a mentor.
Her achievements have earned her the title of the College of Public Health’s Distinguished Alumni, an award that celebrates an alumnus who has made great contributions to Mason and whose accomplishments continue to make the Mason Nation proud.
Levy shifted to a career in business, graduating from Harvard Business School, Executive Education: Women on Boards: Succeeding as a Corporate Director in November of 2018. She earned her Leadership Coaching credentials at the Mason University Center for the Advancement of Well-being, and trained at the Harvard School of Continuing Education and the Life Coach Institute of Orange County.
Levy and her husband cofounded Dovel Technologies, a government IT company. Dovel evolved from a two-person business in the attic of the Levys’ home into a mature organization with approximately 1,200 full-time employees, earning more than $220 million in revenue in 2021. Levy and her husband sold their equity in 2019 and 2021.
Levy and her husband, and co-founder of Dovel Technologies, wrote a book about their experience as entrepreneurs and life partners: Partners in Life and Work
She also cofounded the Eldov Group, a company that invests in early medical and IT start-ups designed to bring value to the public. Levy currently serves as Chair of the governance committee and immediate past Board Chair for Montgomery Hospice, a nonprofit hospice organization in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Levy is the founder of Coach to Strength, a company with a mission to guide and support leaders of start-ups through the scaling and maturing stages.
Sharing her knowledge and experiences is what drives Levy. She served for several years as a mentor for SCORE, where she supported and advised new and aspiring entrepreneurs. She also served as a mentor in residence for the George Washington University School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She currently serves on the corporate board of Highlight Technologies.
Levy’s dedication to Mason has extended to her role as an Advisory Board Member for the College of Public Health.