The following is a list of notable people related to Wayne State University.
Alumni
Academia Sandra Arlinghaus, professor at University of Michigan Ann Arbor Rudine Sims Bishop, educator and "mother of" multicultural children's literature Claire-Marie Brisson, preceptor in French at Harvard University Arthur Danto, Emeritus Johnsonian Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University Wayne Dyer, self-help author and motivational speaker Paul M. Fleiss, pediatrician, father of Heidi Fleiss Joseph Francisco, professor of Chemistry, former president of the American Chemical Society David J. Jackson, political science professor at Bowling Green State University William J. Kaiser, professor and former department chair of Electrical Engineering at UCLA Abdi Kusow, professor of sociology and anthropology at Oakland University Emmett Leith, Schlumberger Professor of Engineering at the University of Michigan and recipient of the National Medal of Science Douglas McGregor, management professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and president of Antioch College (1948–1954) Nancy Milio, originated the notion of healthy public policy, Professor Emeritus of Nursing and Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Godfrey Mwakikagile, Tanzanian scholar, author, Africanist, academic and political theorist Saul K. Padover, historian and political scientist at The New School of Social Research in New York City Sidney Ribeau, former president of Bowling Green State University, President of Howard University Rita Richey, first woman to earn a Ph.D. in instructional technology Michael Schwartz (attended), president of Cleveland State University, former President Emeritus of Kent State University Jacquelyn Taylor, Helen F. Pettit Professor of Nursing; founder and executive director, Center for Research on People of Color at Columbia University Dennis Chima Ugwuegbu, Nigeria's first professor of psychology Stanley E. Zin, Richard M. Cyert and Morris H. DeGroot Professor of Economics and Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University; Frisch Medal winner
Broadcasting and journalism Tony Brown, journalist, comedian, and businessman Rachelle Consiglio, executive producer, The Jerry Springer Show and The Steve Wilkos Show; wife of Steve Wilkos Hugh Downs, news anchor for ABC's 20/20 Wayne Dyer, author, self-help advocate Sonny Eliot, weatherman, actor, and comedian Mark Fritz, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Bob Giles, retired 40-year Detroit broadcast news manager for WWJ-TV News, WDIV-TV News, and WXYZ-TV Action News; inducted into Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 2012 Darren M. Haynes, SportsCenter anchor at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut Jerry Hodak, former chief meteorologist for WXYZ-TV Detroit Casey Kasem, radio host Carol Martin, news anchor and journalist Elvis Mitchell, New York Times film critic (1999–2004), entertainment critic for NPR's Weekend Edition, host of The Treatment on KCRW; programmer of the LACMA Film Screening Program Mike O'Hara, sportswriter for The Detroit News 1967–2008; in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Helen Thomas, former White House correspondent; "First Lady of the Washington press corps"
Business Tom Athans, co-founder and former CEO of the liberal-progressive Democracy Radio Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna Howard Birndorf, biotechnology entrepreneur, founding director of Neurocrine Biosciences Larry Brilliant, executive director of Google.org Bill Davidson, industrialist, billionaire, majority owner of the Detroit Pistons Yousif Ghafari, founder and chairman of Ghafari, Inc., philanthropist, and U.S. ambassadorTom Sakely, "Wayne State University commencement ceremonies set for Saturday, May 3, at Tom Adams Field on campus" Wayne State University press release, April 28, 2008.Staff, "Thousands graduate from Wayne State and Oakland universities" The Detroit News, May 3, 2008 Dan Gilbert, president and founder of Rock Financial and Quicken Loans, majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers Peter Karmanos, Jr., founder and CEO of Compuware Corporation; owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, Plymouth Whalers, and Florida Everblades hockey franchises Madhusudhan Rao Lagadapati, chairman and CEO of Lanco Infratech; ranked 29th richest person in India with US$2.3 billion in 2010 by Forbes David M. Overton, founder and CEO of The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. Dhiraj Rajaram, founder and chairman of Mu Sigma, Inc. Stephen M. Ross, law school graduate; real estate developer; provided $100 million naming gift for Ross School of Business; Forbes 400 rank: #68 at $4.5 billion David Salzman (1969), television producer and businessman
Computers, engineering, and technology Neal Vernon Loving (aeronautical engineering), turbulence specialist Harold Mertz (mechanical engineering), created the standard crash test dummy (Hybrid III) Ali Nasle (electrical engineering), founder of EDSA Micro Corporation; wrote the world's first digital short circuit program Lawrence Patrick (mechanical and aeronautical engineering), researcher in the area of automotive passenger safety; vice president for research and development of Libbey Owens Ford Company, the original manufacturer of laminated safety glass John Sawruk (mechanical engineering), engineer and executive with GM Ece Yaprak (computer engineer), computer engineer and engineering educator
Art and design Susan Aaron-Taylor, mixed media sculptor, professor (retired) at Cranbrook Academy of Art Edith Altman, artist Diane Carr, artist Niels Diffrient, industrial designer Garth Fagan, dancer and choreographer Tyree Guyton, artist, created the Heidelberg Project Carole Harris, interior designer, textile artist Ian Hornak, founding artist of the hyperrealist and photorealist fine art movementsStephen Bennett Phillips, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, "Ian Hornak Transparent Barricades," exhibition catalogue, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Fine Art Program, Washington D.C., 2012Joan Adan, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, "Transparent Barricades: Ian Hornak, A Retrospective," exhibition catalogue, Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale, California, May 2012 Leonard D. Jungwirth, sculptor Emeline King, industrial designer Stanley Lechtzin, jewelry and metal artist, founding member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths Hughie Lee-Smith, painter Oxana Narozniak, Ukrainian-Brazilian sculptor Arthur Seigel, photojournalist, educator and artist Darryl DeAngelo Terrell, photographer, curator Timothy Van Laar, artist R. John Wright, doll designer and maker
Government and politics John D. Altenburg, Army Major General, authority for military commissions covering detainees at Guantanamo Christine Beatty, former Detroit Chief of Staff; involved in the Kilpatrick and Beatty text-messaging scandal Scott Boman, Michigan politician Louvenia Bright, first African American woman to serve in the Vermont General Assembly Cora Brown, first African American woman to be elected to a state senate (D-Michigan) Chen Pi-Chao, former Vice Minister of National Defense for Taiwan, 2000–2002 Ken Cockrel Jr., former mayor of Detroit John Conyers, former member of the United States House of Representatives (D-Michigan) Keith Ellison, first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, currently the Attorney General of Minnesota (D-Minnesota) William D. Ford, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-Michigan) Yousif Ghafari, former US ambassador to Slovenia Amer Ghalib, mayor of Hamtramck Mitch Greenlick, former member of the Oregon House of Representatives Jenean Hampton, former lieutenant governor of Kentucky Lawrence Kestenbaum, creator and webmaster of The Political Graveyard Nancy Lenoil, state archivist of California Andrew Marshall, founding director of the Office of Net Assessment at the U.S. Defense Department Fuat Oktay, first vice president of Turkey Bruce Patterson, former member of the Michigan Senate; former Wayne County Commissioner Gary Peters, member of the United States Senate (D-Michigan) Teresa Stanek Rea, former acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and former acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Lynn N. Rivers, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-Michigan) Mary Sheffield, mayor of the city of Detroit Alma G. Stallworth, former member of the Michigan House of Representatives Ulana Suprun, former acting Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine Rashida Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women elected to the U.S. Congress (D-Michigan) John Townsend, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Law Shereef Akeel, lawyer, notable for pursuing human rights and civil liberties cases on the behalf of Arab Americans and Muslim Americans Sam Bernstein, attorney, founded high-profile firm The Law Offices of Sam Bernstein Patricia Boyle, former U.S. federal judge Irma Clark-Coleman, member of the Michigan Senate, former member of the Michigan House of Representatives John Conyers, U.S. representative since 1964 George Cushingberry, Jr., member of the Michigan House of Representatives, youngest ever elected Nancy Garlock Edmunds, senior U.S. federal judge Tod Ensign, veterans' rights lawyer, founder of the advocacy group Citizen Soldier Richard Alan Enslen, United States District Court judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher, judge on the Michigan Court of AppealsMichigan Court of Appeals. Second District Judges: Elizabeth L. Gleicher (2007). Denise R. Johnson, first woman appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court Damon Keith, senior judge for the United States Court of Appeals Marilyn Jean Kelly, former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court Joan Mahoney, law scholar, former professor and dean of the Wayne State University Law School Dorothy Comstock Riley, former justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; first woman to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals Henry Saad, jurist, Michigan Court of Appeals John Weisenberger, former attorney general of Guam
Literature Charles Baxter, writer and educator Albert Cleage, author, founder of the Black Christian National Movement Dorothy Marie Donnelly, poet Paula Gosling, mystery novelist Mariela Griffor, poet and novelist, journalist Robert Hayden, poet, Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress Philip Levine, United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Ligotti, horror story writer Raynetta Mañees, romance novelist Jonell Nash, cookbook writer and magazine editor Dudley Randall, poet and publisher Warren Rovetch, travel writer Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, writer and educator
Magic Al Schneider, author and magician known for developing the Matrix magic trick
Military Christopher W. Lentz, United States Air Force brigadier general Adolph McQueen, United States Army major general; first commander of the Joint Detention Group at Joint Task Force Guantanamo; Deputy Commander of United States Army North
Motion pictures Deva Katta, director, screenwriter
Performing arts Al Aarons, jazz trumpeter Pepper Adams (attended), jazz baritone saxophonist and composer Patricia Alice Albrecht, actress, voice over actress, and writer, voice of Pizzazz in Jem Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist and composer Madelon Baker (attended), actress, singer, record producer, music publisherWho's Who in the West. 14th Edition. Chicago : Marquis Who's Who. 1974. p. 29. . Anita Barone, actress, The War at Home Cherie Bennett, novelist, actress, director, playwright, newspaper columnist, singer, and television writer for The Young and the Restless Bob Birch, bassist for the Elton John Band Ben Blackwell (attended), musician Kenny Burrell, jazz guitarist Donald Byrd, trumpeter Larry Joe Campbell, actor and comedian, cast member of According to Jim Council Cargle, theater and film actor Toi Derricotte, poet Chad Everett, actor, star of Medical Center and Mulholland Drive