Marta Costanzo Youth ’87
Jersey City, N.J. – March 28, 2025 – Saint Peter’s University today announced that Foreign Service Officer Marta Costanzo Youth ’87, will serve as the speaker for the University’s 134th commencement exercise. Youth will address the Class of 2025 on May 19 at PNC Bank Arts Center at 11:00 a.m. where she will also receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
“We are honored to welcome Marta back to Saint Peter’s as this year’s commencement speaker,” said Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University. “Her remarkable journey from Saint Peter’s to serving as a Foreign Service Officer, with assignments spanning across the world, exemplifies the global perspective and dedication to service that we strive to instill in our students. In an increasingly interconnected world, her international experience and diplomatic acumen are invaluable. We are confident that her insights will inspire our graduates as they embark on their own paths to make a meaningful impact.”
Youth has been a Foreign Service Officer for more than 30 years and is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. She earned a B.A. in political science and economics from Saint Peter’s University in 1987 and pursued graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Bologna, Italy and Washington, D.C.
Youth is currently preparing for her next role as the Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy. She most recently served as the Acting Assistant Secretary at the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), a role she assumed in October 2024. Prior to this, she was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in April 2022, after serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary since November 2020.
Youth was previously the Director of Central American Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Prior assignments include Director of the Office of Europe, Central Asia and the Americas in PRM; Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Managua, Nicaragua; and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. She also worked at the U.S. Embassy in Quito, Ecuador as Press Attaché. Youth also served overseas in the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain as a Trade Officer and at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, India as a Consular Officer.
During her State Department career, additional Washington, D.C. assignments included Country Assistance Coordinator for Russia and Moldova, South Africa Desk Officer, and Portugal, Malta, and Vatican City Desk Officer. She has also been assigned twice to the State Department’s Economic and Business Affairs Bureau.
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