Peter C. Varischetti Appointed and Pa. Senator Jay Costa Reappointed Commonwealth Trustees on Pitt Board

Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati has appointed University of Pittsburgh alumnus Peter C. Varischetti, president of Varischetti Holdings, LP, in Brockway, Pa., a Commonwealth Trustee on the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees and has reappointed Pennsylvania State Senator and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (43rd District) a Pitt Commonwealth Trustee. 

Varischetti succeeds 1967 Pitt School of Law alumnus and recently retired Pennsylvania State Senator Mary Jo White (21st District), who was first appointed to the University’s board in 2004. Costa has been a Pitt Commonwealth Trustee since 2001, serving on the University Board’s Athletics and Property and Facilities committees and on the Boards of Visitors for Pitt’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, its School of Law, and the School of Nursing, where he is the visiting board’s vice chair.

“Peter Varischetti is a respected business and community leader, as well as a distinguished graduate and loyal supporter of our University,” said Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. “Pitt clearly will benefit from his experience and expertise through his service as a Commonwealth Trustee, and we are grateful to President Pro Tempore Scarnati for making this appointment. In addition, we wish to thank Senator and outstanding Pitt alumnus Mary Jo White for her devoted service and wise counsel, which have contributed to Pitt’s progress in numerous ways.“

We also are grateful for the reappointment of Senator Costa, who has demonstrated his commitment to public higher education by generously contributing his time and sharing knowledge during his years on our board and on three Pitt schools’ boards of visitors, and we look forward to his continued service as a Pitt Commonwealth Trustee.”

Varischetti Holdings, LP, is a family-owned-and-operated organization that consists of several different businesses, including a real estate investments operation, a powder metal manufacturing concern, a construction equipment dealership, an oil and gas field services company, and a consultation firm for the waste industry.

Varischetti is also a shareholder, director, and officer of Guardian Elder Care Holdings, Inc., a health care provider with 30 nursing facilities, a rehabilitation services business, a long-term care pharmacy, and a home health company. In addition, Varischetti is the president of Varischetti Sports, LLC, which owns a minority interest in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Varischetti is actively involved in his community as board chair of the DuBois Area Catholic Schools, the Brockway Schools and Community Education Foundation, and the Brockway Center for Arts & Technology. He also is a board member of the Frank Varischetti Foundation and serves on the Parish Finance Council of St. Tobias Church.

Varischetti earned his Pitt Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and psychology in 1992.

Costa began serving his fifth full term as Pennsylvania State Senator from the 43rd District last month. He was first elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1996 and was reelected in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. He was first elected by his Senate colleagues in November 2010 and reelected in 2012 to serve as Senate Democratic Leader, making him the highest-ranking member within the Senate Democratic Caucus. During the 2009-10 session, Costa served as the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He also served as Senate Democratic Caucus chair from 2005 to 2008 and is past Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Prior to serving in the Pennsylvania Senate, Costa was register of wills for Allegheny County and before that, Allegheny County’s deputy sheriff.

A member of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County bar associations, Costa is a former adjunct professor at the Community College of Allegheny County. He earned his law degree from Duquesne University and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.