J. Michael Levesque enjoyed a distinguished career in government and politics before leaving to start a career in international business development and real estate.

In 1988, Mr. Levesque was elected the first Mayor in the history of the Town of West Warwick, Rhode Island, a predominantly Democratic community. In 1990, he was elected to a second term, after which he chose to accept his Party’s nomination as a candidate for the Office of Governor of the State of Rhode Island.

Prior to election as Mayor, Mr. Levesque served in a variety of local and State offices, including the office of Town Councilor and Chairman of the Charter Commission, and was elected by his Party to its highest office as Chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Levesque was appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush on four separate occasions to advise them on business and labor matters, including service as a United States Commissioner for Employment Policy from 1988 to 1993.

After leaving government and politics, Mr. Levesque founded a political consulting/business development firm that assisted companies in the fields of construction, engineering, gaming, and solid waste management in their efforts to secure both government and private contracts both domestically and internationally.

In 1999, he became a Partner in a company that had offices in both the United States and the United Arab Emirates, who’s mission was to provide US companies with the ability to offer their products and services to both government and private entities in the MENA (Middle East and North African) region, with a particular emphasis on media and entertainment, real estate development, oil field products and services, and financial services.

Mr. Levesque has extensive relationships in the United Arab Emirates, with related experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar.

He continues to write editorials for various newspapers, is a frequent political analyst on Rhode Island television stations and is the Associate Publisher of the Rhode Island Echo newspaper.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, and lives with his family in Warwick, Rhode Island.