Great Decisions Meeting

Wednesday, November 11, 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Pathstone Latitude

Ukrain and European Security

Speaker

• Todd Lefko

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Biography

Todd Lefko is an entrepreneur, journalist, and educator with strong connections in Russia. He is President of the International Business Development Company, an import-export firm dealing with water purification equipment, kilns, linen, art, and new technologies. As a journalist he has written more than 680 articles, which appeared weekly in Rossiske Vesti, the political newspaper of the Russian Presidential administration, as well as other Russian newspapers. Todd is on the editorial board for the Russian Historical Review, a quarterly journal, as well as being the English editor for four Russian books. Todd has worked in Russia for over 32 years. As an educator, Todd has taught sociology and urban affairs at the University of Minnesota and political science, international relations, political philosophy, political campaign management, leadership and organizational development at other Minnesota colleges. He has lectured at universities in Russia, China, Germany, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.

Todd has an M.A. in Public Administration and coursework for a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and has studied public policy as Bush Fellow at Harvard and urban planning at the University of Manchester, England. He is one of the founders of Global Volunteers and has been their Treasurer and representative at the United Nations. He also serves on their Board of Trustees. Todd has also been a member of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council, the Regional Transit Board and the Minnesota Experimental City Authority.