List of University of Rhode Island people

The following is a partial list of notable University of Rhode Island people. It includes alumni, professors, and others associated with the University of Rhode Island.

Notable alumni

Politics and government

• Lincoln Almond (B.Sc. 1959) – governor of Rhode Island 1995–2003
• Sandra Cano (M.P.A. 2012) – member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 8th district
• Peter Courtney (B.A. 1965) – 55th president of the Oregon State Senate (2003–present), member of the Oregon Senate (1991–present)
• Frank Edelblut (B.Sc. 1983) – commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education
• Jorge Elorza (B.Sc. 1998) – 38th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
• Charles J. Fogarty (M.P.A. 1980) – lieutenant governor of Rhode Island 1999–2006
• J. Joseph Garrahy (1953) – governor of Rhode Island 1977–1985
• William B. Gould IV (B.A. 1958) – chairman of the National Labor Relations Board 1994–1998
• Candace Owens
• Edwin R. Pacheco (B.A. 2005) – chairman of Rhode Island Democratic Party 2010–2013
• Donna M. Walsh – former Rhode Island state representative
• Robert Weygand (B.Sc., B.F.A., M.A, M.P.A.) – lieutenant governor of RI 1993–1997, U.S. representative from RI 1997–2001
• George Wiley (1953) – civil rights leader and chemist

Arts, broadcast and entertainment

• Masta Ace (1988) – rapper
• Stevie Aiello – songwriter and musician
• Kim Alexis – model
• Christiane Amanpour (B.A. 1983) – journalist and CNN correspondent
• Mark Atkinson (B.A.) – actor
• Andrew Burnap (B.F.A. 2013) – actor
• Steve Cascione (B.A. 1977) – television news anchor
• Angelo Cataldi (B.A. 1972) – sports radio personality
• Amanda Clayton – actress
• Vladimir Duthiers (B.A. 1991) – journalist
• Benjamin Fine (B.Sc. 1928) – journalist
• Mat Franco (2010) – magician
• Sage Francis (1999) – rapper
• Peter Frechette (B.F.A.) – actor
• Matt Gallant (B.A. 1987) – television host
• John M. Geddes (B.A. 1974) – journalist and managing editor of The New York Times 2003–2013
• Leila Goldkuhl – model
• Jose B. Gonzalez (Ph.D. 1998) – poet
• Donald M. Grant (1949) – publisher
• Ann Hood (B.A. 1978) – novelist
• John King (B.A. 1985) – television journalist
• Kevin Kelly – magazine editor
• J. Michael Lennon (M.A. 1969, Ph.D. 1975) – writer and editor
• Aria Mia Loberti – actress
• Tony Longo – actor
• Theo Martins (2009) – singer and rapper
• Freddie Scott – singer
• Michael P. Shawver (born 1984/1985) – film editor
• J. T. Walsh – actor

Sports

• Lou Abbruzzi (1941) – former NFL player for the Boston Yanks
• Pat Abbruzzi (1955) – former CFL player for the Montreal Alouettes
• Jimmy Baron – played in the NBA Summer League for the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards; currently plays for Lagun Aro GBC in Spain's ACB League; all-time three-point shooter in the University of Rhode Island and Atlantic 10 history
• Tavorris Bell (2001) – streetball player featured in the AND1 Mixtape Tour Volume 2 video
• David Bernsley (born 1969) – American-Israeli basketball player
• Parfait Bitee – former point guard for URI, also played on the Cameroonian men's national basketball team that won the silver medal at the FIBA Africa Championship 2007
• Danleigh Borman (2008) – MLS player for Toronto FC
• Andy Boss (B.A. 1992) – former professional racing driver in Indy Lights and IMSA
• Todd Bozeman – head coach, Morgan State University men's basketball
• Ernie Calverley – former NBA player with the Providence Steamrollers, former URI head coach
• Geoff Cameron – MLS player for Houston Dynamo, MLS All-Star in 2009 and 2011, member and starter on the 2014 World Cup US Men's National Soccer Team
• Derek Cassidy – former Arena Football League player
• Jim Christian – former head coach of Boston College men's basketball
• Steve Chubin – former NBA player for the Indiana Pacers
• Sean Colson – former NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets
• Tony DeLuca – former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers
• Shelagh Donohoe – Olympic athlete, current Women's rowing head coach.
• Mike Dwyer – former NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys
• Johnny Ezersky – former NBA player for the Providence Steamrollers, Baltimore Bullets, and Boston Celtics
• Frank Ferrara – former NFL defensive end for New York Giants and Hollywood stunt man
• Jason Foster – former NFL player
• Steve Furness – former NFL player for Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions
• Tom Garrick – former NBA player for the San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Clippers
• Sasha Gotsmanov – MLS player for the Colorado Rapids
• Virgil Gray – Arena Football League player
• Andy Gresh – sports analyst, Fox Sports, WSKO, ESPN Radio, Patriots Rock Radio Network
• P. H. Horgan III – PGA Tour golfer
• Chester Jaworski – basketball player, led the nation in scoring in his senior season, won national player of the year award in his senior season
• Frank Keaney – former URI men's basketball coach, inventor of URI's team color Keaney Blue, and Basketball Hall of Fame member
• Cuttino Mobley – former NBA player for the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, and New York Knicks
• Rick Moser – former NFL player
• Xavier Munford (born 1992) – basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Pat Narduzzi – head football coach for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers
• Lamar Odom (1997–98) – 2-time NBA Champion for the Los Angeles Lakers and recipient of the 6th Man of the Year Award. Drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers
• Josh Oppenheimer – Israeli-American professional basketball coach, and former professional basketball player
• Tom Penders – former college basketball coach
• Stephen Peterson – rower on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team and gold medal winner at the 1990 World Rowing Championships
• Dana Quigley – PGA Tour golfer
• Dawan Robinson – NBA player (point guard) for the Los Angeles Clippers
• Ron Rothstein – former coach in the NBA for the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons, first coach of the Miami Heat
• Kahiem Seawright – former forward for URI, currently playing professional basketball for Valladolid in Spain's ACB League
• Bob Shea – former NBA player for the Providence Steamrollers
• Megan Shoniker – college basketball coach
• Dave Stenhouse – former Major League Baseball pitcher with the Washington Senators 1962–1964; coach of the Brown University baseball team 1981–1990
• Stanley Stutz – former NBA player for the New York Knicks
• Jared Terrell (born 1995) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Tyson Wheeler – former NBA player for the Toronto Raptors
• Bob White – former NFL player
• Andy Williams – MLS player for Real Salt Lake, formerly for Columbus Crew
• Jeff Williams – former NFL player
• Sly Williams – former NBA player for New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Boston Celtics

Business

• Robert Crandall (1960) – former president and chairman of the board, American Airlines
• Michael D. Fascitelli – former president and current Trustee of Vornado Realty Trust
• Giovanni Feroce (1991) – former CEO of Alex and Ani
• John Gomes – luxury real estate broker
• Tony Horton (1980) – fitness guru and developer of P90X
• Sean Ludwick – real estate developer convicted of vehicular homicide
• Nancy McKinstry (1980) – chairman and CEO of Wolters Kluwer
• Olivier Pastré – French economist and banker
• Thomas Ryan (1975) – former CEO of CVS Corporation

Science and academia

• Daniel G. Aldrich (1939) – founding chancellor of University of California, Irvine
• Kimberly Arcand (1997) – data visualizer and science communicator
• Robert Ballard (PhD 1975, Hon. 1986) – oceanographer, discoverer of the RMS Titanic, professor and director of URI's Center for Ocean Exploration, part of URI's Graduate School of Oceanography.
• Martha Banks (M.A. 1978, PhD 1980) – clinical psychologist
• James W. Carey (B.Sc.) – media theorist
• Rosemary Costigan (Ph.D. 2013) – president of Community College of Rhode Island
• Elizabeth A. Craig – professor and chair of biochemistry at University of Wisconsin–Madison and member of the National Academy of Sciences
• Leon Stanislaw Jablecki (B.Sc. 1938) – rocket scientist
• Roxanne Johnson (M.S. 1997) – chemist working at the United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Deneb Karentz (B.Sc. 1973, PhD 1982) – professor and chair of biological sciences at University of San Francisco
• Cornelius M. Kerwin (M.A. 1973) – president of American University (2007–2017)
• Frederick G. Keyes (B.Sc. 1906) – professor and lecturer in Physics and Chemistry at MIT
• George H. M. Lawrence (B.Sc. MSc, 1952) – botanist, author and professor of Botany; established the Hunt Botanical Library and the journal Huntia
• E. Paul Larrat (B.Sc. 1982, MBA 1984, M.S. 1988) – pharmacist, epidemiologist, researcher, and dean and professor, URI College of Pharmacy
• Herbert Lovett (P.h.D) – psychologist
• Jay Maddock (Ph.D. 1999) – Regents Professor at Texas A&M University
• Catalina Martinez (B.Sc. 1996, MSc. 1999, M.M.A. 2001, M.B.A. 2014) – regional program manager for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
• Janice Merrill-Oldham (M.L.S. 1984) – Malloy-Rabinowitz Preservation Librarian at the Harvard Library (1995–2010)
• Robert B. Rheault, Jr. (Ph.D. 1996) – marine biologist and aquaculture consultant
• Stuart Vyse (PhD 1987) – psychologist, teacher, speaker and author who specializes in belief in superstitions and critical thinking

Military

• Admiral Jeremy M. "Mike" Boorda (B.A. 1971) – 25th chief of Naval Operations
• General Charles A. Flynn (B.Sc. 1985)
• Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn (B.Sc. 1981) – director, Defense Intelligence Agency (former), National Security advisor for President Donald Trump (former)
• General Leon J. LaPorte, United States Army four-star general
• Rear Admiral Francis D. "Bill" Moran – third director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps
• Rear Admiral Sigmund R. Petersen – fourth director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps

Faculty

• Judith A. Boss, writer
• James Cooley, mathematician
• Fritz Eichenberg, illustrator
• Arthur L. Hardge, administrator
• Peniel E. Joseph, historian
• Gaurav Khanna, black hole physicist and supercomputing pioneer
• Robert Leuci, former detective with the New York City Police Department
• Margaret Mead, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
• Igor Sikorsky, aviation pioneer
• Bruce Sundlun, 71st governor of Rhode Island
• William Wallace Wotherspoon, chief of staff of the United States Army

Presidents

References