The following is a list of notable people associated with the University of Arizona. Alumni include a former U.S. secretary of the interior, a former U.S. surgeon general, five U.S. senators, two Republican U.S. presidential nominees, the creator of the television series Sesame Street and founder of Sesame Workshop, the owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Major League Baseball team, and several NASA astronauts.

Administrators List of presidents

The following persons served as president of University of Arizona:

PortraitPresidentTerm startTerm end1Theodore B. Comstock189418952Howard Billman189518973Millard Mayhew Parker189719014Frank Yale Adams190119035Kendric Charles Babcock19031910ActingAndrew Ellicott DouglassDecember 20, 1910March 10, 19116Arthur Herbert Wilde191119147Rufus Bernhard von KleinSmid19141921ActingFrancis Cummins LockwoodApril 1922April 19228Cloyd Heck Marvin192219279Byron Cummings1927192810Homer LeRoy Shantz1928193611Paul Steere Burgess1936193712Alfred Atkinson1937194713James Byron McCormick1947195114Richard Anderson Harvill1951197115John Paul Schaefer1971198216Henry Koffler1982199117Manuel Trinidad Pacheco1991July 31, 1997InterimPaul S. SypherdAugust 1, 1997September 30, 199718Peter LikinsOctober 1, 1997June 20, 200619Robert Neal SheltonJuly 1, 2006July 31, 201120Eugene G. SanderAugust 1, 2011June 30, 201221Ann Weaver HartJuly 1, 2012May 31, 201722Robert C. RobbinsJune 1, 2017September 30, 202423Suresh GarimellaOctober 1, 2024present

Table notes:

Notable alumni and former students

Academia Alejandro Aceves (PhD 1988) – professor of mathematics at Southern Methodist University Martin Z. Bazant (BS 1992, MS 1993) – E. G. Roos (1944) Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Raymond S. Brandes – professor of history and archeology, University of San Diego Noam Chomsky – UA Laureate Professor of Linguistics, Agnese Nelms Haury Chair James C. Cox – Noah Langdale Jr. Chair in Economics at Georgia State University Lee Giles (PhD 1981) – computer scientist, co-creator of CiteSeer, David Reese Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University Ghanim Al-Jumaily (MS 1983) – professor of engineering, Southern New Hampshire University; former Iraqi diplomat Alan C. Newell – UA Regents Professor of Mathematics Ed Renwick (1968) – political scientist and television commentator in New Orleans, Louisiana Shauna Shapiro – professor of psychology, Santa Clara University Laurene Simms (PhD 2000) – educator and hearing advocate, chief bilingual officer at Gallaudet University David Soren (1983) – UA Regents Professor of Classics and director of the Orvieto Institute in Umbria Gordon Willey (BS 1935, MS 1936) – pioneer of processual archaeology, Harvard University professor Vladimir E. Zakharov – UA Regents Professor Emeritus of Mathematics

Arts and media

Agha Shahid Ali – poet Samaire Armstrong – actress Denise Austin – fitness instructor Michael Biehn (1974) – actor, Aliens, Terminator Lynn Borden (1959) – actress and Miss Arizona (1957) Jerry Bruckheimer (1965) – film and television producer Jos Charles – poet Tom Chilton – MMORPG game developer Fred Christenson – television executive Jaime Clarke – novelist and editor Robert D. Cocke – artistKnight, Robert E, Tina Yapelli and Robert D. Cocke. Robert D. Cocke: Paintings 1980–2009, Oracle, AZ: Robert Cocke, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2022. Joan Ganz Cooney – creator of Sesame Street Ann Cummins – novelist and short story writer Ted DeGrazia – painter, sculptor Louis Delsarte – artist Alex Flanagan – sports journalist George Gray – game show host and announcer Savannah Guthrie – co-host of The Today Show Earl Hindman – actor, Wilson W. Wilson, Home Improvement Louis Hock – independent filmmaker Rick Hoffman – actor John Hughes – film director, producer, screenwriter Daniel Humbarger – stand-up comedian J.A. Jance – mystery writer Nicole Randall Johnson – actress and comedian Kourtney Kardashian – television personality Kitty Kelley – author Barbara Kingsolver (1981, MS Biology) – author Greg Kinnear (1985) – actor Don Knotts – actor Aline Kominsky-Crumb (BFA) – underground comic book creator Tamika Lawrence – actress and singer Jerry Livingston – songwriter Daniel Mac – internet personality Harvey Mason Jr. – music and film producer Linda McCartney – photographer Emily McDonald – neurologist and media personality James McMurtry – musician Dipti Mehta – actress Paul Moyer (1964) – Los Angeles television journalist Peter Murrieta – 2-time Emmy Award-winning producer and writer, Wizards of Waverly Place Craig T. Nelson (1969) – actor Lynne Olson – author and journalist Katie Pavlich – media Brian Ralston – film score composer Caroline Rhea – actress and comedian Nicole Richie – actress Geraldo Rivera (1965) – talk show host, television journalist Linda Ronstadt – 11-time Grammy Award-winning singer Richard Russo – Pulitzer Prize winner for his novel Empire Falls Rico Saccani – conductor Fritz Scholder – late Native American artist Garry Shandling – late actor and comedian Ron Shelton – film screenwriter and director Richard Siken (MFA 1994) – poet Stephen Spinella – actor Barret Swatek – actress Jimmy Tatro – actor Brandon Tatum – conservative commentator Vicki Lewis Thompson – author Jonathan Van Ness – television and media personality Jack Wagner (1982) – actor David Foster Wallace – author Kate Walsh – actress Kristen Wiig – actress, Saturday Night Live cast member Christine Woods – actress

Business

Max Cutler – podcaster and entrepreneur, founder of Parcast Karl Eller – business leader, namesake of the Eller College of Management Rande Gerber – owner of Midnight Oil Bars and other nightlife businesses William M. Grace (MBA 1959) – real estate developer and casino owner R. Alexandra Keith (born 1967–1968) – head of Procter & Gamble's global beauty business Colette Kress – CFO of Nvidia Pauline Koelbl – entrepreneur Terry Lundgren – CEO of Federated Department Stores, namesake of the Terry Lundgren Center for Retailing at the university Arturo Moreno – owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Major League Baseball team, outdoor advertising entrepreneur Robert Sarver – managing partner and majority owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, director of SkyWest Airlines Lisa Song Sutton – entrepreneur

Law, politics, and government

Cisco Aguilar – 18th secretary of state of Nevada Gilbert Baker – Arkansas state senator Ron Barber (BA 1967) – U.S. representative Betsey Bayless (1966) – Arizona secretary of state 1997–2003 Stacy Brenner – Democratic member of the Maine State Senate (2020-) Jeffrey S. Buchanan (1982) – lieutenant general, United States Army Richard Carmona (MPH 1998) – former U.S. Surgeon General Raul Hector Castro (JD 1949) – former governor of Arizona and ambassador to Argentina Gabriella Cázares-Kelly (BA) – Pima County, Arizona recorder 2021–present Richard Harvey Chambers (BA 1929) – chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1959–1976) Eugenia Charles-Newton (2009) – member of the Navajo Nation Council Joseph V. Cuffari (BS 1984) – inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security Frank L. Culin Jr. (BS 1915, MS 1916) – U.S. Army major general Hayzel Burton Daniels (BA 1939, MA 1941) – first African-American member of the Arizona House of Representatives Dennis DeConcini (BA 1959, LLD 1963) – former U.S. senator from Arizona (1977–1995) David Dewhurst (BA 1967) – lieutenant governor of Texas Bob Dole – former U.S. senator and 1996 Republican US presidential nominee Paul Fannin – former governor of Arizona (1955–1965) and U.S. senator (1965–1977) Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr. (JD 1949) – former governor of Arizona (1965–1967) Barry Goldwater – former U.S. senator (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and 1964 Republican U.S. presidential nominee Howard Hart – Central Intelligence Agency officer Carole Hillard (BA 1957) – former lieutenant governor of South Dakota Tom Hughes (MA 1967) – former mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon Richard Hunziker – U.S. Air Force major general Robert Wood Johnson IV – U.S. ambassador to United Kingdom Neal Justin – member of the Arizona House of Representatives Jon Kyl (BA 1964, JD 1966) – former U.S. representative (1987–1995) and former U.S. senator (1995–2013, 2018) Bill Kimball – Arizona state senator (1941–1955) Richard Kimball – Arizona state senator (1979–1983), member of the Arizona Corporation Commission (1983–1985) and founder of Vote Smart Lorna E. Lockwood (BA 1923, JD 1925) – chief justice of the Arizona Supreme CourtVanderMeer, p. 191. Julianne Murray – chair of the Delaware Republican Party and acting United States attorney for the District of Delaware Edna G. Parker (BA 1953) – United States Tax Court judgeOfficial Congressional Directory (1989), p. 864. Robert K. Phillips – San Francisco trial attorney Steve Soboroff – Los Angeles police commissioner and former CEO of Playa Vista; former Los Angeles Parks commissioner Nora Sun (BA 1978) – Chinese-American diplomat, granddaughter of Sun Yatsen Opal Tometi – co-founder of Black Lives Matter Morris K. Udall (JD 1949) – former fifteen-term U.S. congressman Stewart Udall (JD 1948) – former U.S. congressman, former secretary of the interior Evan Wallach (BA 1973) – judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Annie Dodge Wauneka – activist and former Navajo Nation Council member

Religion Spencer W. Kimball – former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints David Roseberry – Anglican priest and founder of Christ Church Plano Frederick Wedge – Presbyterian pastor and educator, professional boxer"Fred Wedge Will Become Evangelist", Berkeley Daily Gazette (December 25, 1924):14.

Science and technology

Joseph M. Acaba (MS, 1992) – NASA astronaut Daniel W. Bradley (PhD) – co-discoverer of Hepatitis C Amanda M. Fanniff (Ph.D., 2009) – clinical psychologist Sarah Hörst – professor of Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University Steve Maguire (BS, ?) – software engineer Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos (BS, 1968) – NASA astrophysicist who contributed to the International Ultraviolet Explorer and the Hubble Space Telescope Don Pettit (Ph.D., 1983) – NASA astronaut Elisabetta Pierazzo (Ph.D., 1997) – PSI senior researcher Jane H. Rider (BS, 1911) – first female civil engineer in Arizona, state director of hospital surveys Brian Schmidt (BS, 1989) – physicist awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics Richard Scobee (BS, 1965) – NASA astronaut Christine Siddoway (M.Sc., 1987) – geologist and Antarctic researcher Kathryn Stephenson (BA, 1936) – first American female board-certified plastic surgeon Mary Stiner – professor of anthropology, curator of zooarchaeology at the Arizona State Museum Clifford Stoll (Ph.D., 1980) – astronomer Paul Wehrle (BS, ca. 1943) – pediatrician who helped develop vaccines for polio and smallpox

Sports

Abdihakem Abdirahman (BA, 2001) – long-distance runner and Olympian Hassan Adams (BA, 2006) – NBA player James Akinjo – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League"James Akinjo," Yahoo. Rawle Alkins – professional basketball player Kadeem Allen (born 1993) – professional basketball player Brian N. Anderson (2003) – MLB center fielder Gilbert Arenas (2001) – NBA player Deandre Ayton – NBA player Marisa Baena – LPGA golfer Bob Baffert (1977) – Thoroughbred race horse trainer Adia Barnes (1998) – former WNBA player Ricky Barnes – PGA Tour golfer and 2002 U.S. Amateur Champion Brigetta Barrett (2013) – Olympic silver medalist in the high jump Jason Bates – former Major League Baseball infielder Michael Bates – NFL player and Olympic sprinter Amanda Beard (2003) – swimmer, Olympic gold medalist and 2-time American Swimmer of the Year Mike Bell – NFL running back