CSU Pueblo announces 2026 Commencement Speaker

PUEBLO, Colo. – Catherine Bertini, former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme and recipient of the 2003 World Food Prize, will serve as the principal speaker at Colorado State University Pueblo's 2026 University Commencement Ceremony on May 16, CSU Pueblo announced today.

Bertini has dedicated her career to reforming international organizations that serve poor and hungry populations worldwide. During her decade-long leadership of the World Food Programme, she transformed the agency into the world's largest and most responsive humanitarian relief organization, work that earned her the World Food Prize in 2003.

“Dr. Catherine Bertini's lifelong commitment to global food security and equality is the kind of leadership and service we hope to inspire in our graduates," said Kristyn White Davis, vice president of enrollment management, marketing, and extended studies.

Before joining the U.N., Bertini shaped national food and nutrition policy as an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1989 to 1992. She oversaw 13 food assistance programs supporting America's poorest children and families. Her work included expanding electronic benefit transfers for food stamps, creating specialized food packages for breastfeeding mothers, and increasing the number of schools providing breakfast to students.

As executive director of the World Food Programme, Bertini implemented changes that fundamentally improved how aid reached those in need. She channeled food assistance through women to ensure equitable distribution. By the end of her tenure, more than 60% of the organization's aid was delivered through women. Under her direction, the WFP rescued 3.3 million North Korean children from severe malnutrition and expanded global school feeding programs that improved the health and education of 16 million children in 64 countries.

“Her experience addressing some of the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges is sure to connect with our graduates as they prepare to make their own impact on the world," White Davis said.

Bertini’s leadership enabled what was called a “logistics miracle” that brought food to millions during crises across the Horn of Africa, Central America following Hurricane Mitch, and in conflict zones from Kosovo to East Timor. In 2003, the WFP shipped 1,000 metric tons of food each hour, around the clock, every day of the week.

Following her time at the WFP, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Bertini as under-secretary-general for management in 2002. She went on to co-chair the project that inspired the U.S. government's Feed the Future initiative and established the Catherine Bertini Trust Fund for Girls' Education, donating her entire World Food Prize proceeds to the fund.

An emeritus professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School, where she specialized in humanitarian action and international organizations, Dr. Bertini continues her work through leadership roles with the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Kofi Annan Foundation. She has received honorary doctorates from universities in multiple countries and was listed by The Times of London as one of the world's most powerful women.

This is the first time Bertini will serve as a commencement speaker in Colorado.

The 2026 University Commencement Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 16 at the ThunderBowl Stadium. The ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m.