Born on January 1, 1941, Robert A. Levy earned a Ph.D. in business from American University and served in the U.S. Air Force. He founded CDA Investment Technologies in Silver Spring, Maryland, an institutional money manager and provider of financial information and software. As CEO until 1991, the company expanded to offices in Rockville, Maryland; New York City; Chicago; San Francisco; Tokyo; and London. In 1991, Levy left CDA to pursue a legal career, obtaining his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He is a constitutional lawyer who gained prominence as co-counsel and financier in the landmark Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which established an individual right to gun ownership under the Second Amendment. Levy is also recognized as a writer on constitutional and libertarian issues. His involvement with the Cato Institute extended to leadership roles, including as former chairman and chairman emeritus.