Dr. Richard Levy currently serves as chairman of the Varian Medical Systems Board of Directors since 2002. He was CEO of the company from 1999 to 2006. Levy became CEO when Varian Associates, Inc. separated into three independent businesses. Prior to that "spin," Levy served as executive vice president of Varian Associates, where he was part of the senior management team leading one of America's pioneer high-technology companies. Levy was appointed a senior vice president of the corporation in 1989, and during the 1989-1992 period oversaw a number of business areas, including Semiconductor Equipment and Vacuum Products. He became executive vice president of the corporation in 1992 and, until the time of the spin, oversaw the medical businesses and the Ginzton Technology Center, the company's research and development center.

He began his business career at the Monsanto Company, where he served as a research specialist and project manager in both basic and applied research. Within Varian, prior to assuming General Management and CEO duties, he oversaw Sales, Marketing, Service, R&D, and various corporate functions as well as managing the corporate Quality Program.

Levy is on the Board of Trustees of the Peninsula Coastal Region of Sutter Health, and the Board of Trustees of Sutter Health where he served as Secretary. He served as the chair of the Finance and Planning Committee and is also on the Executive Committee. Levy has been on the Board of United Way Silicon Valley since 2002, and served as Chairman in 2008-2009. He is co-chair of the Advisory Committee of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and is an active participant in summits for CCI (Center for Corporate Innovation, Inc.), with a focus on improvement of the national healthcare system. He is a past chairman of the board of directors of the American Electronics Association..

He holds a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a doctorate in nuclear chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.