This list of notable Florida International University alumni includes alumni, faculty, and presidents of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, which includes 26 colleges and schools.
Alumni Sports
Baseball
Athlete Notability Brad Eldred professional MLB baseball playermlb.com Brad Eldred Stats, Bio, Photos, HighlightsMike Lowell professional MLB baseball playerGarrett Wittels professional baseball player; 56-game college hitting streak
Basketball Athlete Notability Oren Aharoni Israeli basketball coach and former Israeli Basketball Premier League basketball player Carlos Arroyo professional NBA and Israeli Basketball Premier League basketball playerRaja Bell professional NBA basketball player Rakeem Buckles professional Israeli Basketball Premier League basketball player Denver Jones professional Israeli Basketball Premier League basketball playerAndrea Nagy professional WNBA basketball player
Equestrian
Athlete Notability Margie Goldstein-Engle equestrian
Football Athlete Notability Antwan Barnes NFL pro football player, free agentJohnathan Cyprien NFL pro football player, Tennessee TitansAnthony Gaitor NFL pro football player, Tampa Bay BuccaneersT. Y. Hilton NFL pro football player, Indianapolis Colts Jonnu Smith NFL pro football player, Miami Dolphins Nick Turnbull NFL pro football player, Atlanta FalconsTourek Williams NFL pro football player, San Diego Chargers
Soccer Athlete NotabilityChris AntonopoulosFormer professional soccer player, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, USBeachMNT Bobby Boswell MLS professional soccer player, Houston Dynamo Jeff Cassar MLS professional soccer player, FC Dallas Juan Francisco Guerra Venezuelan First Division pro soccer player, New York Cosmos (2010)Santiago PatiñoMLS professional soccer player, Orlando City Steve Ralston MLS professional soccer player, New England RevolutionHenry Westmorelandretired professional soccer player
Track & field Athlete Notability Ronald Forbes Olympic athlete, 110m hurdles, Cayman Islands (2008, 2012, 2016) Ena GuevaraOlympic athlete, marathon, Peru (1984, 1992) Tayna Lawrence Olympic athlete, 100 meters, Jamaica (2000, 2004) Aubrey Smith Olympic athlete, long jump, Canada (2016)
Other sports David Avellan, electrical engineering graduate, mixed martial artist Oumy Diop, French-Senegalese swimmer Steve Meister (born 1958), tennis player
Authors and entertainers
Alumnus Notability Carlos Alvarado-Larroucau francophone writer, poet, essayist, professorLiz BalmasedaPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Benenpolitical writer and contributor to and producer of The Rachel Maddow Show Richard Blanco inaugural poet, public speaker, author Niala Boodhoo journalist Dennis Lehane author of Mystic Riverhttp://www.bandp-book-dealers-int.com/dennis_lehane Retrieved July 4, 2010 Ana Menendez fiction author and journalist Amy Serrano filmmaker, author, public speaker Javier Stanziolaauthor, playwright, theatre director
Visual artists +AlumnusNotablityNatalia Arbelaezceramicist, sculptor, and educator
Authors, actors, television, musicians
Alumnus Notability Aimee Carrero actress, Young & Hungry, Elena of AvalorJanet DacalBroadway actress and singer, known for her role as Carla in In the HeightsAllie DiMecoactress and musician, known for her role as Rosalina in Nickelodeon's The Naked Brothers BandAthena Diondrag queen Andy García Academy Award-nominated actor Ricki Noel Lander actress, fashion designerBoston herald: "Meet Robert Kraft's mystery gal" June 8, 2012 Kimberly Leemans model, America's Next Top Model contestant Syesha Mercado singer, American Idol contestant (Season 7)Syesha Mercado Natalia Navarro Miss Colombia 2009, placed 12th at Miss Universe 2010Jackie Nespraltelevision anchor for WTVJ, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale affiliate of NBC Dawn Ostroff chief content officer and advertising business officer of Spotify Danny Pino actor, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC Carlos Rafael Rivera Emmy-winning and nominated film and television composer Tony Succar musician, songwriter, percussionist and producer, Latin Grammy Award nominee and winner Nadia Turner singer, American Idol contestant (Season 4)Nadia Turner Henry Vega composer, musician Vijay Yesudas South Indian singer
Culinary AlumnusNotabilityTam PhamMichelin Guide Florida 2024 Young Chef Award winner
Entertainment Alumnus Notability Dawn Ostroff president of Entertainment, CW Television Network Elizabeth Perez Emmy-winning television journalist and presenter, CNN en EspañolSteve Tellotelevision executive, senior vice president and general manager of Fox Sports Florida
Law and politics
House of Representatives, U.S. court judges Alumnus Notability Cecilia Altonaga U.S. district court judge (first Cuban-American woman appointed)Barbara Lagoa U.S. circuit judge for the 11th Circuit and former justice of the Supreme Court of Florida (first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court of Florida) David Rivera Florida's 25th Congressional District Ileana Ros-Lehtinen member of the United States House of Representatives and first Hispanic from South Florida
State and local politics Alumnus NotabilityCarlos Álvarez6th mayor of Miami-Dade County Bryan Avila member of the Florida House of Representatives for district 111Manny Diaz41st mayor of Miami, chair of the Florida Democratic Party Katie Edwards member of the Florida House of Representatives for district 98 Anitere Flores member of the Florida Senate for district 37 Rene Garcia member of the Florida Senate for district 38 Jeanette Nuñez member of the Florida House of Representatives for district 119; 20th lieutenant governor of Florida Mark Pafford member of the Florida House of Representatives for district 86 Kirill Reznik member of the Maryland House of Delegates for district 39Ian Richardsformer county court judge in the Florida's 17th Judicial Circuit (first African-American judge to be elected countywide in Broward County) Evelyn Sanguinetti 47th lieutenant governor of IllinoisFrancis Suarez 43rd and current mayor of Miami
Foreign governments
Alumnus NotabilityPatrece Charles-FreemanJamaican public and environmental health consultant, former executive director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission, political candidate with the Jamaica Labour Party Danny Danon Israeli politician and chairman of the U.N. Legal CommitteeKim Simplis BarrowBelizean activist, philanthropist, and spouse of the 4th prime minister of BelizeRichie SookhaiTrinidadian and Tobagonian politician, engineer and businessman; current government senator and former president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC)
Education Alumnus Notability Elsa Murano former president of Texas A&M University in College Station, TexasCarmen Reinhart Minos A. Zombanakis Professor of the International Financial System at Harvard Kennedy School; World Bank chief economistBertha Vazquezdirector of education for the Center for Inquiry, director of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES), and science teacher at the George Washington Carver Middle School
Science Alumnus NotabilityEdith KellnhauserGerman nursing scientist, educator, and writer (1933–2019)James F. O'Brienprofessor at UC-Berkeley, has patents pending for his explosive computer animation techniquesDavid Shordata scientist (1991–)
Faculty
Irtishad Ahmad, professor and chairperson of Florida International University Department of Construction Management and editor in chief of the Journal of Management in Engineering, ASCE Thomas E. Baker, professor of constitutional law in the College of Law Lynne Barrett, professor of English and founder of Gulf Stream Magazine Rita Buck-Crockett, assistant athletic director, head volleyball and beach volleyball coach Stephan Charman, associate professor of psychology William Darrow, professor of public health John Dufresne, professor of creative writing, editor of Gulf Stream Magazine, author Penelope Easton, professor of dietetics and nutrition in the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work Elizabeth Price Foley, professor of law in the College of Law Edgar Fuller, professor of mathematics and statistics Orlando Jacinto García, professor of music and director of the Composition Program for the School of Music Steven Heine, professor of religion and history; director of the Institute for Asian Studies Mark Hetzler, professor of music and orchestra Sundaraja Sitharama Iyengar, professor of computer science in the College of Engineering and Computing Maureen Kenny, professor of psychology in the Department of Psychology Abraham Lavender, professor of sociology; president of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies Stephen Leatherman, director of the FIU Coastal Research Lab, nicknamed "Dr. Beach" for his annual ratings of American beaches (issued every Memorial Day weekend) Zaida Morales-Martínez, professor emeritus of chemistry Bruce Nissen, professor of labor studies and director of research at the Center for Labor Research and Studies and director of the FIU Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy Ronni Reis, tennis coach Stewart Robertson, professor of orchestral studies and conductor of the FIU Symphony Orchestra Marco Rubio, adjunct professor of politics and international relations at Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs
University presidents
PresidentTenureCharles Perry1965–1976Harold Crosby1976–1979Gregory Baker Wolfe1979–1986Modesto A. Maidique1986–2009Mark B. Rosenberg2009–2022Kenneth A. Jessell2022–2025Jeanette Nuñez2025–present
References