John Costello ’66 Awarded Honorary Degree

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John Costello ’66 Awarded Honorary Degree

Photo Courtesy of CNFA

John Costello was the 2019 recipient of Utica College’s Honorary Degree, awarded at commencement on May 11.

Costello ’66 began his career in marketing and management with the Eastman Kodak Corporation. He continued in the field of international development in a number of senior project management and executive positions. In 1985, he co-founded the international non-profit organization Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) and served as its president for 29 years before retiring in 2014.

Costello has also served as a consultant to government and international organizations including as Chairman of the United States Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA) from 1988-1991, where he played a critical role in the development of U.S. international public policy. In the early 1990s, he served as a member of the Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy for the U.S. Department of State.