List of University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni

The University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni number is around 243,628 worldwide, as 2014.^[1]

Academy Award

winners

• William Monahan, for adapted screenplay, The Departed
• Buffy Sainte-Marie, for best song, "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman

Emmy Award

winners

• Ed Christie 1979, BFA, art director/designer for The Jim Henson Company and Sesame Street.
• Billy Taylor MA, PhD, musician, music educator.

Grammy Award

winners

• Natalie Cole 1972, singer
• Yusef Lateef 1975, composer
• Billy Taylor MA, PhD, composer
• Brian Vibberts, audio engineer

Nobel Prize winner

• Russell Hulse
  1972G, 1975 Ph.D.

Pulitzer Prize winners

• Herbert Bix
  1960, historian
• Paul Harding 1992, author and musician
• Natasha Trethewey 1995, U.S. poet laureate

Royalty and nobility

• Yaduveer Wadiyar, 27th and present titular King of Mysore and head of the former ruling Wadiyar dynasty

Academia

• sociologist, known for contributions to world-systems theory
• IEEE
  fellow
• Christy Anderson G, professor of Art and Architecture at University of Toronto^[2][3]
• Maximilian Auffhammer B.S. 1996, George Pardee Jr. Professor of International Sustainable Development, University of California, Berkeley
• Doris E. Abramson, professor and author.^[4]
• California State University at Northridge
• dendrologist
• Edwin Bergin 1995 Ph.D., professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan and recipient of the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics
• art historian
• Ann Bermingham, art historian
• Michael Blakey, National Endowment for the Humanities Professor at the College of William & Mary^[5]
• George Ruffin Bridgeforth, 1901, Tuskegee Institute agriculturist and first Black graduate of UMass Amherst
• Carlton Brown 1972, 1979G, president of Clark Atlanta University
• Lin Chao, professor at University of California, San Diego
• Vicente Cabrera Funes, professor and writer at University of Minnesota Morris
• Gennaro Chierchia, professor and Department Chair of Linguistics at Harvard University^[6]
• Philip R. Day G, former Chancellor of City College of San Francisco and Cape Cod Community College
• Michael Dirr, professor of horticulture at University of Georgia
• Westfield State College
• University of Colorado^[7]
• Vera King Farris G, former president of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
• Forer effect
• Michael J. Franklin, professor and chair of Computer Science, at University of Chicago^[8]
• Dennis Hanno, president of Wheaton College^[9]
• Mary Lou Heiss, historian and tea connoisseur
• David Helfand, 1977 Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University
• Sally Hirsh-Dickinson, New Hampshire Public Radio Producer and Host, professor of English at Rivier University.
• Donald F. Hunt, professor of Chemistry and Pathology at University of Virginia
• Leonard Katz, professor of Psychology at University of Connecticut
• Joy Ladin, professor at Yeshiva University
• Paul J. LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University; former president of Marlboro College
• food scientist and founder of Phi Tau Sigma
• Computer Engineering at the UC Santa Cruz
• Communication Studies at University of Iowa
• Li Minqi, Associate Professor of Economics at University of Utah
• Bridgewater State College
• Joseph B. Moore, president of Lesley University
• Ann C. Noble, professor at UC Davis
• Steven Nock, Commonwealth Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia
• William Oakland, former Professor of Economics at Tulane University
• Christopher Ober, Ph.D. 1982, Francis Norwood Bard Professor of Materials Engineering at Cornell University
• Alexey A Petrov, 1997, Professor of Physics at Wayne State University, recipient of the National Science Foundation
  CAREER Award
• Carl Phillips, Professor of English and of African and Afro-American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis
• David Rosner, professor at Columbia University
• Minouche Shafik, 1983, President of Columbia University and former Director of the London School of Economics
• Lawrence Solan 1978 Ph.D., professor of law at Brooklyn Law School
• Winthrop E. Stone 1882, former President of Purdue University
• Roger Stritmatter 2001 PhD, professor of humanities; a leading modern-day advocate of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship
• Edwin Lorimer Thomas 1963 B.S., Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering at Rice University
• David A. Tirrell 1978 Ph.D., provost at California Institute of Technology
• Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago
• Albert E. Waugh 1924 B.S., professor of economics and provost at the University of Connecticut
• Laura Wright, founder of academic field of vegan studies
• Müjde Yüksel, assistant professor at Suffolk University^[10]
• Edward N. Zalta, principal editor of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy^[11]
• Zhi-Li Zhang, professor of computer science at University of Minnesota
• Zhou Qifeng 1983 Ph.D., former president of Peking University
• Jonathan Wilker, professor of Chemistry at Purdue University
• Donald P. Zingale 1969G, president of the State University of New York at Cobleskill

Science and technology

• William P. Brooks 1875, agronomist, foreign advisor to the Japanese government in the Meiji period, president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College
• Catherine Coleman 1991, Ph.D., astronaut
• Helen Cooke 1965 BS, American medical researcher and academic
• Fernanda Ferreira 1985 MS Psychology;1986, MA Linguistics; 1988 PhD Psychology, Cognitive Psychologist, Professor at University of California, Davis
• Rebecca Hasson, Associate Professor at University of Michigan
• Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
  laureate
• Doina Precup senior fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
• Dan Riccio, 1986, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple
• Cynthia E. Rosenzweig, Senior Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
• Dorion Sagan 1981, author
• Steven Sinofsky 1989, president of Windows Division at Microsoft
• Sarah Stewart, first woman to be awarded an MD Degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine^[12]
• Jim Waldo 1980, lead software architect on Jini, CTO of Harvard University
• Rachel Whitmer, 1995, epidemiologist and Alzheimer's researcher
• Sandra Leal, 2013, pharmacist and president of the American Pharmacists Association

Business

• Betsy Atkins, 3-time CEO and serial entrepreneur and founder of Baja Corporation
• Tony Barbee (1993), collegiate basketball coach at Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
• Bruce Berkowitz
  1980, Managing director and Morningstar Domestic-Stock Fund Manager of the Decade (2010) of Fairholme Funds
• J. B. Bernstein, CEO of Access Group and chief marketing officer (CMO) of Seven Figures Management
• Wayne Chang, director of product strategy at Twitter
• Ben Cherington (1997), former executive vice president and general manager of the Boston Red Sox
• JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Chris Daggett, president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
• Marc Forgione, owner of restaurant Marc Forgione in New York City
• Arturo Guevara, baseball writer
• Neal Huntington (1992), general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Anshu Jain (1985), president of Cantor Fitzgerald and former global co-CEO of Deutsche Bank
• Dave Jauss, professional baseball coach
• CEO and president of T-Mobile US
• Dave Littlefield (1984), senior vice president and general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Agenor Mafra-Neto, CEO of ISCA Technologies^[13]
• Lawrence Mestel (born 1962), music executive and CEO of Primary Wave.
• A.S. Roma
  and chairman and managing director of Raptor Group
• Wipro Technologies
• Wikia, Inc.
• Rudolf Rodríguez, former Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia
• Ryan Salame (2015), former CEO of FTX Digital Markets, the FTX subsidiary based in the Bahamas.
• General Motors Corporation
• Earl W. Stafford, founder of the Stafford Foundation
• Mike Tannenbaum (1991), former general manager of the New York Jets
• Jeff Taylor 2001, founder of Monster.com
• Jack Welch 1957, retired CEO of General Electric
• Jill Whalen, CEO of High Rankings; co-founder of Search Engine Marketing New England
• Nick Zhang, CEO of Wuzhen Institute
• Pat Walsh, Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer of Classy

Law and politics

Governors

• United States Ambassador to Switzerland
  (1985–1991)

Congressmen

• Peter G. Torkildsen 1980, former member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts (1993–1997)

U.S. government officials

• Commissioner of Social Security
  (1997–2001)
• Richard A. Baker, Historian of the United States Senate
• Charles B. Curtis 1962, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (1977–1981); acting United States Secretary of Energy (1997)
• 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial candidate
• Obama Administration "Compensation Czar" and former Special Master of the U.S. Government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
• FBI
• Chief of the United States Forest Service
  (1993–1996)

• Career Ambassador
  in 2002
• United States Ambassador to Yemen
• United States Ambassador to Switzerland and first female Governor of Vermont
• United States Ambassador to Yemen
  since 2007

• Marsha Kazarosian, 1978, attorney who handled high-profile cases^[14]
• David A. Lowy, Judge of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court^[15]
• federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Eduardo C. Robreno 1967 MA, federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Erik P. Kimball 1987 BA, federal judge on the United States Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Florida^[16]

State legislators and executives

• Denise Andrews, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2011–present)
• Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1969–1973) and 1984 candidate for the United States Senate
• Missouri State Senate (2003–2010) and Missouri House of Representatives
  (1993–2002)
• Massachusetts State Senate
  (1995–present)
• Linda Dean Campbell member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2007–present)
• Reuven Carlyle 1987, member of the Washington House of Representatives (2009–present)
• Steven D'Amico, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2007–2011)
• Eileen Donoghue 1976, member of the Massachusetts State Senate (2011–present)
• Lewis G. Evangelidis 1984, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2003–present)
• Christopher M. Fierro 2002, 2004 MS, former member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives (2009–2011)
• John J. Finnegan, former Massachusetts State Auditor (1981–1987)
• Nancy Flavin 1986, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1993–2003)
• Paul K. Frost 1993, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
  (1997 to present), Asst. House Minority Whip
• Thomas N. George, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1997–2005)
• Guy Glodis, former member of the Massachusetts State Senate (1999–2005) and Massachusetts House of Representatives (1997–1999)
• Frederick D. Griggs
  1913, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1925–1928)
• Christopher Hodgkins, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1983–2003)
• Kate Hogan, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2009–present)
• Philip W. Johnston, former Massachusetts Secretary of Human Services
• Sally Kerans 1982, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1991–1997)
• Stephen Kulik, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1993–present)
• Patrick Landers, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1987–1999)
• Gary LeBeau, member of the Connecticut State Senate (1997–present)
• Paul Mark, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2011–present)
• District Attorney of Norfolk County, Massachusetts
  (2011–present)
• Betty Jo Nelsen, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (1979–1990)
• Arthur D. Norcross 1871, former member of the Massachusetts State Senate (1908–1909) and Massachusetts House of Representatives (1904–1906)
• Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr.
  1986, former member of the Massachusetts State Senate (1997–2007)
• Carmen Hooker Odom, former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
• David Poisson, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates (2006–2010)
• Ruth Provost, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1997–2003)
• Massachusetts State Senate
  (1986–present)
• Marie St. Fleur, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1999–2011)
• Barry Trahan, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1987–1989)
• Joseph Wagner, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1991–present)
• Rachel Weston 2003, member of the Vermont House of Representatives (2007–present)

International figures

• Hau Lung-pin, 1982 Ph.D, Mayor of Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Kang Kyung-wha MA, Ph.D., Foreign Minister of South Korea, former United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs
  (2011–2013), the first female to hold this post
• Makaziwe Mandela, daughter of Nelson Mandela
• Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
• National Assembly of Namibia
• Kingdom of Thailand
• Kingdom of Thailand

County and municipal officials

• San Diego County
  (2003–present)
• Maura Hennigan 1972, former Boston City Councilor and first female Clerk-Magistrate of Suffolk County
• Billy Kenoi 1993, Mayor of Hawaii County
• Salvatore LaMattina 1981, District 1 Boston City Councilor
• Joseph Sullivan, mayor of Braintree, Massachusetts

Activists

• Brian Darling 1987, conservative activist and senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation
• Jackson Katz, social activist
• Hugh Loebner, social activist for the decriminalization of prostitution
• Ray Rogers, labor rights activist and labor union strategist
• Tony Rudy, lobbyist and associate of Jack Abramoff
• NORML
• Betty Shabazz 1975 PhD, widow of Malcolm X
• Sue Thrasher 1996 Ed.D, civil rights activist

Military

• Band of Brothers
• Andrew P. Iosue 1951 - General (R) of the United States Air Force; Commander of Air Training Command (COMATC), 1983–1986
• Jody Daniels, 34th Chief of Army Reserve
• Robert Miller, 24th Surgeon General of the United States Air Force and the United States Space Force^[17]
• Special Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Brian Beaudreault, Commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force
• Thomas F. Healy, U.S. Army general and former commandant of the Army War College
• William N. Sullivan
• Richard M. Scofield, Lieutenant General and Commander of Air Education and Training Command
• John B. Hall Jr., Lieutenant General and Commander of United States Forces Japan and Fifth Air Force
• Franklin M. Davis Jr., Major General in the United States Army
• Michael S. Martin, Major General in United States Marine Corps
• Lee E. Payne, Major General in United States Air Force

Film

• Jere Burns, 1980, actor
• Rob Corddry, actor
• Jeffrey Donovan, actor
• Richard Gere, 1971, actor (did not graduate)
• Jonathan Hensleigh, 1981, screenwriter and film director
• Bollywood
  actor (did not graduate)
• Bridget Moynahan, actress (did not graduate)
• William Monahan, screenwriter, The Departed
• Bill Pullman, 1980 MFA, actor
• Jason Nash, 1995, actor, director, screenwriter, comedian, YouTube personality

Television

• Norm Abram 1972, "America's most famous carpenter"
• Rob Corddry 1993, former writer and correspondent for The Daily Show, actor on television series The Winner
• Bill Cosby 1972G, 1976 Ed.D., actor, comedian, writer, star of The Cosby Show
• Jeff Corwin 2002, Animal Planet's The Jeff Corwin Experience
• Burn Notice
• Marc Forgione 2010, competitor on Food Network's Iron Chef America; won season three of "The Next Iron Chef" in 2010; owner of restaurant Marc Forgione in New York City
• Lauren Koslow, actress on Days of Our Lives
• The Unabomber
  "
• Loretta Long 1973 Ph.D., long-time Sesame Street actress
• Ken Ober 1980, game show host, comedian, and actor
• Nancy Oliver, writer for the series Six Feet Under
• Mark Preston 1994, CNN Senior Political Analyst and Executive Editor, CNN Politics
• Peter Tolan, television producer, director, and screenwriter
• Mark Wilding 1979, lead writer and executive producer of Grey's Anatomy
• Jean Worthley 1948, naturalist; former host of Hodgepodge Lodge; co-host of On Nature's Trail

Journalism

• Deepak Ananthapadmanabha 1998, web-based technology journalist
• Steve Buckley 1978, sportswriter
• Gerry Callahan, sports writer for the Boston Herald and radio talk show personality for WEEI
• Christian Science Monitor, kidnapped in Iraq
  on assignment in January 2006
• editorial page
  editor
• Weekend Edition Sunday
• Jenny Dell 2008, reporter for CBS Sports
• Syrian Civil War
• Matt Malone
  , 1994, Jesuit and journalist; editor in chief of America magazine
• senior editor of the libertarian magazine Reason
• Wendi Nix, reporter for ESPN
• David Pakman, host of the internationally syndicated television and radio program The David Pakman Show
• Mark Preston, Executive Editor, CNN Politics and CNN Senior Political Analyst
• McClatchy News Service known for her coverage of the operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in Cuba
• Dan Wetzel, national columnist, Yahoo! Sports; Netflix executive producer, New York Times best-selling author

History, literature, art, and music

• Kenny Aronoff 1975, drummer
• Alison Aune, artist
• Phillip Barron, poet and philosopher
• David Berman, poet, musician
• Frank Black, rock singer and guitarist in the Pixies
• Kathryn Burak, novelist
• Vicente Cabrera Funes 1944, writer
• Jack Canfield 1972G, best-selling author
• Gordon Chandler 1975G, sculptor^[18]
• Constance Congdon 1982, M.F.A., playwright
• Bill Cosby 1972G, 1976 Ed.D., actor, comedian, writer
• Patrick DeCoste 2000, guitarist, composer
• Stephanie Deshpande 1997, painter
• Jason Donati, animator and artist
• Sadie Dupuis, singer and guitarist for Speedy Ortiz
• Jason K. Fettig, 28th director of the United States Marine Band
• Harvey Goldman, artist, educator
• Dana Gould 1986, comedian
• James Grinwis, poet
• Peter Hargitai, award-winning novelist, poet and translator
• Airline Inthyrath 2006, drag queen known as Jujubee, performer, TV personality^[19][20]
• Raymond Kennedy, novelist
• Fardeen Khan, Bollywood actor
• Beth Krommes 1980G, children's book illustrator
• Peter Laird, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Taj Mahal 1963, composer and singer
• William Manchester 1946, author, biographer, and recipient of the National Humanities Medal
• Valerie Martin 1974, novelist
• Dinosaur Jr
• Matthew Minicucci, poet
• Jeff Penalty (b. Jeff Alulis), former lead singer of Dead Kennedys
• Chappaquiddick Skyline
• Terri Priest, artist
• Stuckist painter, filmmaker, Remodernist film
• Louis Ross
  1917, architect, designed many of the campus buildings
• Larry Ruttman 1952, author and attorney
• Buffy Sainte-Marie 1970, singer
• Joey Santiago, guitarist in the Pixies
• Flo Steinberg, of Marvel Comics
• Susan Straight 1984, writer, novelist, professor at the University of California, Riverside
• Paul Theroux 1963, travel writer and author
• Natasha Trethewey 1995, U.S. poet laureate
• Jane Yolen, author
• Matthew Zapruder, poet

Athletics

Baseball

• Ben Cherington 1998G, executive Vice President and general manager of the Boston Red Sox
• New York Giants
• California Angels
• Mike Flanagan 1975, 1979 Cy Young Award winner, Baltimore Orioles
• Nick Gorneault 2001, outfielder, Los Angeles Angels
• Bob Hansen, first baseman, Milwaukee Brewers
• General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Dave Littlefield 1984, Senior Vice President and general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Chad Paronto, relief pitcher, Houston Astros
• Jeff Reardon 1977, relief pitcher Minnesota Twins, Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox
• Mike Stone 1981, Vermont and UMass baseball coach
• Dave Telgheder, starting pitcher, New York Mets
• Ron Villone 1992, relief pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals

Basketball

• Tony Barbee 1993, collegiate basketball coach, Central Michigan University
• Bill Bayno (did not graduate), Division 1 collegiate coach and professional assistant coach
• Marcus Camby, 1996 Naismith College Player of the Year and retired professional basketball player
• Julius Erving 1972, Hall of Fame professional basketball player (received earned bachelor's and honorary doctorate simultaneously)
• Gary Forbes 2008, professional basketball player, Toronto Raptors
• Derek Kellogg 1995, collegiate basketball coach University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Stéphane Lasme 2007, professional basketball player, Miami Heat
• Gloria Nevarez 1993, sports administrator and commissioner of the Mountain West Conference (2023–present)
• Rick Pitino 1974, professional and collegiate basketball coach
• Raphiael Putney (born 1990), basketball player for Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli National League
• Lou Roe 1995, professional basketball player, Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors
• Al Skinner 1974, basketball coach, Boston College

Football

• Neal Brown, Texas Tech Red Raiders offensive coordinator
• Liam Coen 2008, offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Rams
• Victor Cruz 2010, professional football player and 2012 Super Bowl Champion, New York Giants; second-team All-Pro (2011) Pro Bowl (2012)
• Vladimir Ducasse, professional football player, Buffalo Bills
• Tom Gilson, American football player
• Chris Grier, general manager of the Miami Dolphins since 2016
• Jeremy Horne, professional football player, Kansas City Chiefs
• James Ihedigbo professional football player, Buffalo Bills
• Andy Isabella, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals
• Greg Landry 1968, quarterback, Detroit Lions
• Brandon London 2006, professional football player, Miami Dolphins
• punter, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos
• Jeromy Miles, professional football player, Cincinnati Bengals
• Milt Morin 1966, tight end, All-Pro, Cleveland Browns
• Tajae Sharpe 2016, professional football player, Atlanta Falcons
• UFL Champions Las Vegas Locomotives
• Mike Tannenbaum, former general manager of the New York Jets

Hockey

• David Branch, president of the Canadian Hockey League
• Justin Braun, professional ice hockey player, San Jose Sharks
• Matt Irwin, professional ice hockey player, Nashville Predators
• John Lyons
  , Olympic ice hockey player, 1924 Olympic silver medalist
• James Marcou, professional ice hockey player, San Jose Sharks
• Brad Norton 1998, professional ice hockey player
• Thomas Pock, professional ice hockey player, New York Islanders
• Jonathan Quick, professional ice hockey player; 2010 Olympic silver medalist; 2012 NHL All-Star; 2012 Conn Smythe winner; 2014 Stanley Cup Champion, Los Angeles Kings
• Conor Sheary, professional ice hockey player, 2016 Stanley Cup Champion, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Frank Vatrano, professional ice hockey player, Florida Panthers
• Casey Wellman, professional ice hockey player, Washington Capitals
• Cale Makar, professional ice hockey player, 2022 Conn Smythe winner, Colorado Avalanche

Lacrosse

• Sal LoCascio, retired professional lacrosse goaltender
• Toronto Nationals

Other sports

• Gideon Ariel (born 1939), Israeli Olympic competitor in the shot put and discus throw
• Danielle Henderson 1999, Olympic gold medal winner, softball
• mixed martial artist^[21]
• Chris Sanford, The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 contestant, retired professional MMA fighter^[22]
• Briana Scurry 1995, two-time Olympic gold medal winner and women's World Cup champion, soccer
• Serena Williams, tennis player, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and 23-time Grand Slam winner^[23]

Others

• Julie Robenhymer, former Miss New Jersey

See also

• University of Massachusetts Amherst

References