Ambassador Jeffrey D. Levine.   Photo by ERR

The Estonian software start-up Teleport announced that Jeffrey D. Levine, US Ambassador to Estonia until autumn last year, has joined their team. Levine is one of several former US diplomats working with companies in this part of Europe.

Teleport called Levine’s appointment “an awesome addition to the team” and pointed out that he had moved no fewer than 17 times during his career. This emphasizes Teleport’s mission to advocate the free movement of talent to “make every government in the world compete for every citizen,” as they state on their website.

Levine is an achieved career diplomat. Before his posting to Tallinn, he was the US State Department’s Director of Recruitment, Examination and Employment. Before that, he served in Hungary, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cyprus, Egypt, Malaysia and Peru. Before his career as a diplomat, Levine worked as a journalist.

After Michael C. Polt, also former US Ambassador to Estonia and Levine’s predecessor, and Bruce Oreck, former US Ambassador to Finland, Levine is the third former US diplomat to maintain close ties to the area.

While Oreck was a political appointee and doesn’t have a comparable diplomatic record, Polt had a long and successful career in the US State Department and diplomatic service as well. He is a board member of Enefit American Oil, Eesti Energia’s US operation.