Morris R. Levitt received a B.S. in physics with honors from Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University. He was also a post-doctoral Research Associate at the Columbia Radiation Laboratory.  

Levitt was the editor and publisher of Laser Focus World at PennWell corporation. He subsequently served as executive vice president (EVP) and COO of the PennWell Advanced Technology Division, publisher of a broad group of journals in IT and photonics. Levitt was co-editor of numerous proceedings of SPIE (the International Society for Optics and Photonics) on scientific, industrial, and medical laser applications and markets, as well as co-founder with SPIE of the OE-Lase Conference. He was also co-founder and co-editor of multiple editions of the Industrial Laser Handbook, published by Springer.

Levitt served as a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of PennWell, corporate publisher of the Oil and Gas Journal, the publication of record for the petroleum industry. He was also a member of the strategy committee of ABP, the US business publication trade association. Subsequent positions included EVP and COO of the Advanstar BioPharma and Medical media division, founder and CEO of the Bio-IT World journal at IDG, and Managing Director for life science media mergers and acquisitions at DeSilva + Phillips.