VMC Foundation Champion and Donor Dick Levy recieves 2010 David Packard Award.

Reposted from this story.

SAN JOSE, Calif. February 8, 2010 Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network announced today that Varian Medical Systems board chair and longtime Silicon Valley community leader Richard M. Levy is the recipient of the 2010 David Packard Award.

The Packard Award is Joint Venture’s highest honor, presented annually to an individual who brings an entrepreneurial, cross-boundary, problem-solving approach to Silicon Valley’s challenges. Recipients embody the spirit of David Packard, Silicon Valley’s legendary pioneer who set the highest standard for civic engagement.

“Richard Levy’s long record of selfless personal and professional commitment to our region made him the unanimous choice of the jury,” said Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Venture.

“He has been willing to step outside his normal role in order to tackle hard problems,” Hancock added. “It’s one thing to serve on boards and commissions; it’s quite another to lead them, and to start new ones. This is what Dick has done for decades, most recently by chairing Joint Venture’s Smart Health Initiative.”

“One of the many things that make Dick Levy such a special volunteer is his passion for the mission of improving lives,” said United Way Silicon Valley president and CEO Carole Leigh Hutton. Levy chaired the organization for the past two years. “Working under his leadership is as inspirational as it is informative.”

Tim Guertin, president and CEO of Varian Medical Systems, said Levy “is consistently looking for ways to make the world better, from working to transform healthcare to meeting the most urgent needs of our community.”

Levy, who has been with Varian since 1968, has been chair of the Varian Medical Systems board of directors since 2002 and was CEO of the company from 1999 to 2006. Levy is also vice chair of the board of trustees of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and a board member of the Sutter Health.

Don Watters, director emeritus of McKinsey & Company, will present this year’s award to Levy at the annual State of the Valley conference this Friday, February 12, in San Jose.

Previous David Packard Award honorees are Paul L. Locatelli, S.J. (2009), William F. Miller (2008), Eric Benhamou (2007) and Bruce Chizen (2006).