This list includes alumni and faculty of George Mason University.
Presidents The following persons have served as president of George Mason University:
ImagePresidentTerm startTerm endChancellor of George Mason College (1966–1972)Lorin A. Thompson19661973President of George Mason University (1972–present)Vergil H. Dykstra19731977Robert C. Krug19771978George W. Johnson19781996Alan G. MertenJuly 1, 1996June 30, 2012Ángel CabreraJuly 1, 2012July 31, 2019Anne HoltonAugust 1, 2019June 30, 2020Gregory WashingtonJuly 1, 2020present
Notable faculty
Nobel laureates
James M. Buchanan, Nobel Prize-winning economist (1986) Vernon L. Smith, Nobel Prize-winning economist (2002)
Pulitzer Prize winners Steven Pearlstein, Pulitzer Prize winner for Commentary in 2008 Martin Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize winner for his biography of Robert Oppenheimer Roger Wilkins, Pulitzer Prize winner for coverage of the Watergate scandal (along with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein) while he was working at The Washington Post; retired
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
William Sims Bainbridge Shaul Bakhash, scholar of Persian studies; husband of Haleh Esfandiari Mary Catherine Bateson, former Clarence J. Robinson Professor in Anthropology and English; professor emerita Robert Bausch, novelist Rei Berroa, poet Andrés Boiarsky Courtney Angela Brkic, poet Alan Cheuse, novelist Arthur W. Chickering Jeremy Crampton, cartographer Wilfrid Desan Bùi Diễm, South Vietnam's ambassador to the United States Robert J. Elder, Jr, Air Force commander Marita Golden, novelist Gerald L. Gordon Joshua Greenberg Hugh Gusterson Helon Habila Deanna Hammond Frances V. Harbour Hugh Heclo, professor of American politics and winner of John Gaus award Carma Hinton, documentary filmmaker, The Gate of Heavenly Peace Susan Hirsch, legal and linguistic anthropologist Mark N. Katz Peter Klappert, poet Gary L Kreps Thelma Z. Lavine, philosopher Suzannah Lessard, writer Lawrence W. Levine, historian Samuel Robert Lichter, former professor at Princeton University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Yale, and Columbia University Peter Mandaville, professor of international affairs and scholar of political Islam Nadine Meyer, poet Robert Nadeau, English professor Eric Pankey, poet Roy Rosenzweig Richard E. Rubenstein Clare Shore Susan Shreve Richard Norton Smith, presidential historian; former director of five presidential librariesBiography of Richard Norton Smith. Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov (2005-09-06). Retrieved on 2011-03-11. Rod Smith, poet Peter Stearns, American historian and former provost Lev Vekker, psychologist Rex A. Wade, professor of Russian history Margaret R. Yocom Mary Kay Zuravleff, novelist
Department of Economics
Peter Boettke Donald J. Boudreaux Henry N. Butler Bryan Caplan Tyler Cowen Christopher Coyne Richard H. Fink, executive vice president of Koch Industries Joseph L. Fisher, U.S. congressman from Virginia Jack A. Goldstone Wendy Lee Gramm Robin Hanson Laurence Iannaccone Manuel H. Johnson, former vice governor of the Federal Reserve Daniel B. Klein Arnold Kling Don Lavoie Peter T. Leeson Kevin McCabe Maurice McTigue, former Minister for Labor in New Zealand James C. Miller III, director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan Jennifer Roback Morse Russ Roberts, host of EconTalk George Selgin Alex Tabarrok Robert Tollison Gordon Tullock, developed the public choice theory Richard E. Wagner Lawrence H. White Walter E. Williams, John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics Bart Wilson Bruce Yandle, executive director of the Federal Trade Commission
School of Art
Chawky Frenn
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution Kevin Avruch, Henry Hart Rice Professor of Conflict Resolution and Professor of Anthropology and Dean of S-CAR Marc Gopin, James H. Laue Professor of World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution Susan Hirsch, professor of Conflict Resolution and Anthropology Richard E. Rubenstein, University Professor of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs
Schar School of Policy and Government
Zoltan Acs David S. Alberts, director of research for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense Kenneth Button Thomas M. Davis, former U.S. congressman from Virginia Robert Deitz, former chief counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency Desmond Dinan Richard Florida William Conrad Gibbons Marc Gopin Stephen Haseler Michael Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency Ellen Laipson, former CEO of The Stimson Center Seymour Martin Lipset Andrew McCabe, former acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Serena McIlwain, secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment Patrick Mendis, diplomat and expert on Sino-American relations Patrick Michaels, climatologist Thomas J. Miller, former United States Ambassador to Greece, and Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael Morell, former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Pence, former Vice President of the United States Saskia Popescu, infectious disease epidemiologist Bill Schneider, Los Angeles Times contributor and former CNN senior political analyst Jeremy Shearmur Louise Shelley Richard Norton Smith John N. Warfield
College of Science Yakir Aharonov (professor 2006–2008), physicist, known for Aharonov–Bohm effect, winner of National Medal of Science (2009) David Albright Ken Alibek, colonel in the Soviet Union in charge of biodefense Robert Axtell Peter J. Denning Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein, mathematician and cryptanalyst Klaus Fischer, mathematician Peter A. Freeman Rebecca Goldin, mathematician Robert Hazen, Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Science; author Abul Hussam, inventor of the Sono arsenic filter, for which he received the 2007 sustainability prize awarded by the National Academy of Engineering Thomas Lovejoy Angela Orebaugh Suresh V. Shenoy Jagdish Shukla, meteorologist Fred Singer John P. Snyder, cartographer James Trefil, physicist, and author Ernst Volgenau, chairman and founder of SRA International Edward Wegman, statistician Boris Willis
School of Systems Biology Valery Soyfer
Donald G. Costello College of Business Anthony Sanders, Distinguished Professor of Real Estate Finance Ajay Vinze, dean of the School of Business
Antonin Scalia Law School Jonathan H. Adler, legal commentator and law professor Steve Andersen, rear admiral and Judge Advocate General of the United States Coast Guard Peter Berkowitz David Bernstein Lawrence J. Block, federal judge Frank H. Buckley Henry N. Butler, Republican candidate for member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th congressional district Susan Dudley, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under President George W. Bush Victoria Espinel, United States intellectual property enforcement coordinator Adrian S. Fisher, lawyer, diplomat, and politician during the 1960s and 1970s Sandra Froman, president of the National Rifle Association of America Sigrid Fry-Revere, founder and president of Center for Ethical Solutions Ernest Gellhorn Douglas H. Ginsburg, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Ronald Reagan's nominee to the United States Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Brett Kavanaugh, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States William Kovacic, former member of the Federal Trade Commission Michael I. Krauss, former commissioner for Québec's Human Rights Commission William H. Lash, former United States assistant secretary of commerce James LeMunyon, former United States assistant secretary of commerce Robert A. Levy, chairman of the Cato Institute Leonard Liggio, vice president of Atlas Economic Research Foundation Deborah Platt Majoras, former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Henry Manne James C. Miller III, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission; Budget Director for President Ronald Reagan John Warwick Montgomery Timothy Muris, former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Paul F. Nichols, former delegate to the Virginia General Assembly Raymond O'Brien Daniel D. Polsby, dean of Law Jeremy A. Rabkin Steve Ricchetti, served as White House deputy chief of staff in the Clinton administration; counselor to Vice President Joe Biden Chuck Robb, former governor of Virginia; former U.S. senator Kyndra Miller Rotunda, Army JAG officer Hans-Bernd Schäfer Loren A. Smith, Federal Judge Clarence Thomas, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Michael Uhlmann Clay T. Whitehead, former director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy Todd Zywicki, former director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission
School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism Steve Baumann, chief executive of the National Soccer Hall of Fame Charley Casserly, general manager of the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans Craig Esherick, former head coach of the Georgetown basketball team
Notable alumni
Corporate/non-profit Muna AbuSulayman (Muna Abu-Sulayman), secretary general and executive director, Alwaleed Philanthropies Erden Eruç, president, CEO, Around-n-Over Zainab Salbi, president, Women for Women International Will Seippel, executive Roy Speckhardt, executive director, American Humanist Association Martin Andrew Taylor, former senior executive corporate VP of Windows Live and MSN
Government, politics, and economics
Abdirahman M. Abdi, Somali politician, economist, and former Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy in the Federal Government of Somalia Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, president of Puntland and former prime minister of Somalia Don Beyer, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 8th district. David Bobzien, member of the Nevada Assembly Denise Bode, energy expert, member of President George W. Bush's Energy Transition Advisory Team Anna E. Cabral, treasurer of the United States under President George W. Bush Kathleen L. Casey, commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Sandra Cauffman, NASA John Cobin, American-born Chilean economist and politician, former U.S. Libertarian Party candidate, and founder of the Galt's Gulch Libertarian Compound in Chile; known for his involvement in the 2019 Reñaca shooting during the 2019–2021 Chilean protests Sean Connaughton, Virginia secretary of transportation and former U.S. maritime administrator Garrison Courtney, chief of Public Affairs of the Drug Enforcement Administration Ken Cuccinelli, attorney general of Virginia Bob Deuell, Texas state senator Christine Fox, former acting U.S. deputy secretary of defense Michael Frey, member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Nancy Garland, member of the Ohio house of representatives Juleanna Glover, press secretary to Vice President Dick Cheney Jim Hagedorn, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 1st district. Bethany Hall-Long, Governor of Delaware William D. Hansen, US deputy secretary of Education under President George W. Bush Charniele Herring, former majority leader, Virginia House of Delegates Deborah Hersman, National Transportation Safety Board Cathy Hudgins, member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors David Jolly, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 13th district. Mohammad Khazaee, representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Kaye Kory, Virginia House delegate Sherri Kraham, deputy VP at the Millennium Challenge Corporation Nathan Larson, former politician, arrested in Denver, Colorado and faces child kidnapping and child pornography charges