This page lists notable alumni and faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz; alumni may have attended without graduating.

Notable alumni

Academia William Drea Adams – president of Colby College, Waterville, Maine Michelle Anderson, B.A. 1989 – (born 1967) – president of Brooklyn College, and a scholar on rape law Stefano Bloch, B.A. 2001 – author, graffiti artist, and professor of cultural geography at the University of Arizona Hume A Feldman, BA 1984 – professor and chair, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kansas, APS fellow Gabriel Filippelli, Ph.D, 1994 – biogeochemist and climate change researcher, IUPUI Yoav Freund, Ph.D. 1994 – professor of computer science at the University of California San Diego, winner of the Gödel Prize Kristen R. Ghodsee, B.A. 1993 – professor of Gender and Women's Studies at Bowdoin College; winner of 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship Alexander Gonzalez, Ph.D. 1979 – president of California State University, Sacramento Thyrza Nichols Goodeve – artist and writer, School of Visual Arts Victor Davis Hanson, B.A. 1975 – historian, professor emeritus of Classics at California State University, Fresno; Hoover Institution fellow; 2007 National Humanities Medal recipient Eva Simone Hayward – Women's Studies researcher on faculty at University of Arizona Andrew Jolivette; Ph.D. – professor of Ethnic Studies, senior specialist Native American and Indigenous Studies at University of California, San Diego Caren Kaplan, Ph.D. – professor of American Studies at UC Davis Steven G. Krantz, B.A – professor of Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis; winner of the Chauvenet Prize Annette Lareau, B.A. 1974 – professor of Sociology at University of Pennsylvania Patricia Nelson Limerick – professor of History at University of Colorado and a leading historian of the American West Lisa Lowe, Ph.D. – professor of American Studies at Yale Tod Machover – MIT Media Lab Austin E. Quigley, Ph.D. – dean of Columbia College of Columbia University John R. Rickford, B.A. 1971 – professor of Linguistics at Stanford University and African American Vernacular English or Ebonics expert Sally Sedgwick, B.A. 1978 – Distinguished professor of Philosophy at University of Illinois at Chicago Jeffrey C. Stewart, B.A. 1971 – professor of Black Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara Bret Weinstein, B.A. – biologist and evolutionary theorist

Arts and letters Will Bagley, BA 1971 – historian of 1800s American West Michael A. Bellesiles, BA 1975 – author of Arming America: The origins of a National Gun Culture, which won the Bancroft Prize in 2001; the prize was rescinded by Columbia University in 2002 for having "violated basic norms of scholarship and the high standards expected of Bancroft Prize winners" Susie Bright – writer, sex activist and sex therapy focus leader Dean Byington, BA 1980 – visual artist Gail Carriger, MA 2008 – steampunk author C. Ondine Chavoya, BA 1992 – art historian of Latino/Chicano and queer art history, professor Maya Chinchilla, BA 2000 – Guatemalan-American poet Fred Cohen, BA 1980 – director of the School of Music & Dance, San Jose State University David Farley – BA 1995 – author of An Irreverent Curiosity, food and travel writer William Finnegan – BA 1974 – 2016 Pulitzer prize author of Barbarian Days, journalist Laurie Garrett, BA 1975 – Newsday science reporter and author, Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Kan Gotanda – playwright Reyna Grande, BA 1999 – author, American Book Award winner Kira Lynn Harris, MFA 1998 – artist bell hooks, PhD 1983 – author, educator, social critic Miranda JulyAttended but did not graduate. – filmmaker and writer Persis Karim, BA 1985 – poet, editor, educator, scholar of Iranian-Americans Lori Kay, BA 1986 – artist, sculptor Sahar Khoury, BA 1996 – sculptor Jayne Ann Krentz, BA 1970 – New York Times bestselling author Katerina Lanfranco, BA 2001 – artist Deborah Madison, BA 1968 – cookbook author, founding chef of the Greens Restaurant Steve Martini, BA 1968 – bestselling mysteries author Lou Mathews, BA 1973 – writer, "Best Book" of 1999 for L.A. Breakdown (L.A. Times) Jason Middlebrook, BFA 1990 – artist Samantha Mills – science fiction and fantasy writer; 2023 Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Best Short Story winner Omar Musa – Australian author, poet and rapper Kent Nagano, BA 1974 – conductor of the Los Angeles Opera and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Catherine Newman, PhD – memoirist and novelist Jenny Parks – comics artist, fan artist, and scientific illustrator Johanna Poethig, BA 1980 – visual, public and performance artist Larry Polansky, BA – composer Dana Priest, BA 1981 – Washington Post reporter and author; winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting and 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Tanya Ragir, BA 1976 – artist Tlaloc Rivas, BA 1995 – theatre director, writer, and professor Joe Safdie, BA 1975 – poet Michael Schennum, BA 2000 – photojournalist Andrea Smith, PhD 2002 – Cherokee activist and author David Talbot, BA – founder of Salon.com, author, journalist Mark Teague, BA 1985 – author and illustrator of children's books Hector Tobar, BA – Los Angeles Times columnist, author, winner of Pulitzer Prize in 1992 Bernt Wahl, BA 1984, BS 1986 – author and entrepreneur, Fulbright Fellow; coined UC Santa Cruz motto "Fiat Slug" Annie Wells, BA 1981 – photographer, filmmaker, winner of Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1997 Lawrence Weschler, 1974 – author Richard White – historian of American West, Native American history, and environmental history; MacArthur Foundation fellowship, 1995 Daniel James Wolf, BA 1983 – composer Laurence Yep – author

Business

Mike Cagney, BA/MS – co-founder and former CEO of SoFi Jonah Peretti, BS 1996 – founder of BuzzFeed and Huffington Post Sage Weil, PhD 2007 – founder of Ceph Susan Wojcicki, MS – former CEO of YouTube

Economics Andréa Maechler, PhD – Swiss economist; first woman on board of directors of the Swiss National Bank

Entertainment and broadcasting Anohni – attended in late 1980s, composer and singer for Anohni and the Johnsons, and visual artist Lorin Ashton, aka Bassnectar – free-form electronic music artist and DJ Juliet Bashore, BA English Literature/Film – filmmaker (Kamikaze Hearts, The Battle of Tuntenhaus) Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, BA – filmmaker (V/H/S, Southbound) and guitarist for Link 80 Jello Biafra – singer and songwriter of the Dead Kennedys Brannon Braga – film writer for Star Trek Generations and an executive producer of 24 Kauchani Bratt, BP 2023 – Coahuiltecan actor Bob Byington, BA 1988 – filmmaker (7 Chinese Brothers, Lousy Carter) Bill Carter, BA Politics, Economics – documentary film director and author Rick Carter, BA – Oscar-winning art director and production designer John Craigie, BA Mathematics 2002 – folk singer Dennis Delaney, BA Anthropology 1976 – writer and actor Brett Dennen – singer, songwriter Jacob Aaron Estes, BA 1994 – film screenwriter and director Anne Flett-Giordano, BA 1976 – television writer and producer (Kate & Allie, Frasier, Desperate Housewives) Stephanie Foo, BA 2008 – radio producer for This American Life Cary Joji Fukunaga, BA 1999 – filmmaker and showrunner (Sin Nombre, True Detective, Beasts of No Nation) Matthew Gray Gubler, BA – actor (Criminal Minds) and director Richard Gunn, BA 1997 – actor (Dark Angel, Granite Flats, and For the Love of Money) Richard Harris – National Public Radio science reporter Alice Inoue – former television presenter and author Ethan Klein, BA English Literature 2009 – YouTube video blogger and satirist known for h3h3Productions Elissa Knight, BA Theater & English Literature 1997 – voice actress Victor Krummenacher – bassist for Camper Van Beethoven, Monks of Doom Gretchen Lieberum – singer, songwriter David Lowery, BA 1984 – singer and songwriter for Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker Camryn Manheim, BA 1984 – actress Barry Mendel – film producer (Rushmore, Sixth Sense, Munich, Funny People) Stephen Mirrione, BA – Academy Award-winning film editor Dacoury Natche, aka DJ Dahi – Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer Bradley Nowell – singer and songwriter with Sublime Marti Noxon, BA – TV producer Joe Palca, PhD 1982 – National Public Radio science reporter Jack Passion, BA 2006 – competitive beard grower and star of IFC's Whisker Wars Rebecca Romijn – supermodel, actress Maya Rudolph, BA 1995 – actress, former Saturday Night Live cast member Andy Samberg, BA – actor, former Saturday Night Live cast member, co-founder of comedy trio The Lonely Island Tim Schafer – game designer for LucasArts and founder of Double Fine Productions Akiva Schaffer, BA – actor, filmmaker, former Saturday Night Live writer, co-founder of comedy trio The Lonely Island Amber Sealey, BA – film director and actress Jonathan Segel, BA 1985 – composer, multi-instrumentalist for Camper Van Beethoven Nikki Silva, BA 1973 – one half of The Kitchen Sisters, who are regularly featured on NPR Julie Snyder, BA 1995 – producer of NPR's Serial and S-Town SRSQ – musician Broke-Ass Stuart, BA 2003 – travel writer, poet, host of IFC's Young Broke & Beautiful Chris Tashima – actor, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jesse Thorn, BS – host of NPR's Bullseye with Jesse Thorn and co-host of Jordan, Jesse, Go! Omi Vaidya – American actor in Bollywood films, known for role in 3 Idiots Rubén Valtierra, BA – keyboardist for "Weird Al" Yankovic Ally Walker, BS – actress known for roles in Profiler, Sons of Anarchy, and The Protector Gillian Welch, BA 1990 – singer and songwriter Rich Wilkes, BA 1988 – writer, filmmaker (Billy Madison, Stoned Age, Beer Money, XXX, Airheads) Still Woozy, BA 2014 – musician, songwriter

Law Nate Cardozo, BA 2003 – privacy and civil rights attorney, currently managing privacy at WhatsApp Vince Girdhari Chhabria, BA 1991 – judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California Joan E. Donoghue, BA 1978 – judge, International Court of Justice Ricardo García, BA 1991 – public defender for Los Angeles County Rachel Goslins, BA 1991 – copyright attorney, director of the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Museum, former executive director of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities Charles Harder, BA 1991 – entertainment and civil lawyer known for representing President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and many other celebrities

Politics and public life Bettina Aptheker, PhD – leader in the Berkeley Free Speech Movement Katherine Canavan, BA – former United States ambassador to Botswana and United States ambassador to Lesotho Rebecca Cokley, BA – former director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress (CAP) John Doolittle, BA 1972 – member, U.S. House of Representatives, California's 4th Congressional District Eli Erlick, PhD – writer, transgender activist, founder of Trans Student Educational Resources Ron Gonzales, BA – mayor of San Jose, California, 1999–2006 Victor Davis Hanson, BA 1975 – senior fellow at the Hoover Institution James Charles Kopp, BA Biology 1976 – murderer of Buffalo abortion doctor Barnett Slepian in 1998; convicted in 2003 and serving sentence of 25 years to life John Laird, BA 1972 – California Natural Resources Agency Secretary, former California assemblyman, and mayor of Santa Cruz Don Lane – former mayor of Santa Cruz, California Jamus Lim, MA 2006, PhD 2006 – member of the 14th Parliament of Singapore, member of the opposition Workers' Party of Singapore and associate professor at ESSEC Business School Nina Milliken, BA 2010, Maine state representative Azadeh Moaveni, BA – journalist and writer Huey P. Newton, BA 1974, PhD 1980 – co-founding member of the Black Panther Party Aaron Peskin – San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Claire Pierangelo, BA 1982 – current US ambassador to the Republic of Madagascar and Union of Comoros Drummond Pike, BA 1970 – Tides Foundation founder, philanthropist, and social entrepreneur