Don Levine was raised and educated in Northeast Portland, attending Alameda Grade School and Grant High School. His primary interests and work history are in Emergency Medicine, Education and Public Health. His work history includes working as an EMS provider and 15 years training EMS volunteer groups in SE Alaska bush communities and developing and conducting medical and crisis intervention programs for groups in both the public and private sectors. He spent 10 years teaching at Benson High School in Portland, and has worked at the local and state levels in education, civic government and community health. His focus is in building capacity within communities by developing communication and networking among stakeholders, instead of relying on outside resources to resolve identified needs and concerns.