Ambassador Alberto Martínez Piedra was born in Havana, Cuba and came to the United States in 1959. Martinez Piedra received his Doctorate in Law from the University of Havana, Cuba in 1951, his Doctorate in Political Economy from the University of Madrid, Spain in 1957, and his Doctorate in Economics from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. in 1962. He was professor of economics at the Universidad de Santo Tomás de Villanueva, Havana, Cuba, 1958-1959; Director General of Exports and Imports of the Cuban Ministry of Commerce in 1959; and Technical Assistant of the Department of Economic Development of the Cuban National Council in 1959. 

He was the Director of the Latin American Institute of the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. 1965-1982, where he also was a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Economics. Ambassador Martinez Piedra is Professor Emeritus of The Institute of World Politics (IWP). Author of numerous books, while at IWP he wrote Natural Law: The Foundation of an Orderly Economic System and No God, No Civilizations: The New Atheism and the Fantasy of Perpetual Progress.

He served as Deputy Representative to the Organization of American States-Department of State and as Senior Policy Advisory, Bureau Inter-American Affairs from 1982-1984. Piedra was the US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Guatemala from 1984-1987. In 1987 was appointed as Special Advisor and Economic and Social Counsel to the 42d United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Commission in Geneva

Ambassador Alberto Martinez Piedra passed away on December 20, 2021.