Full Alpha List

Notable Iowa State University Alumni

Sawsan Al-Sharifi (MS ’81 ani sci, PhD ’83), former Iraqi Minister of Agriculture
Clayton Anderson (MS ’83 aerospace engr), NASA astronaut
Terry Anderson (’74 journalism and pol sci), former Middle East Bureau Chief, The Associated Press
Jane Armstrong-Byrne (’57 hotel, restaurant, and instit mgmt), one of the first female vice presidents of a U.S. Fortune 500 Company
*John Vincent Atanasoff (MS ’26 math), co-inventor of the electronic digital computer
Beth Bader (’97 exercise and sport sci), LPGA golfer
Steve Bales ('64 aero engr), retired NASA scientist, guidance officer for Apollo 11 lunar landing
*Robert Bartley (’59 journalism), former editor, The Wall Street Journal, and 2003 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista (PhD ’80 econ), former Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of Economics
*Bert Benjamin (1893 mech engr), inventor, Farmall tractor
*Ezra Taft Benson (MS '27 ag econ), former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
*Clifford Berry ('38 elec engr), co-inventor of the electronic digital computer
Matt Blair (’74 phys ed), retired Pro Bowl NFL linebacker
Bruce Braley (’80 pol sci), U.S. representative, Iowa’s 1st district
Glen Brand (’50 civil engr), Olympic gold medalist, wrestling
Wesley Buchele (PhD ’54 ag engr), inventor, round hay baler
*Griffith Buck (’48 horticulture, MS ’49, PhD ’53), developed roses that could survive low temperatures
Stephanie Burns (PhD ’82 organic chem), chairman, president, and CEO of Dow Corning
Garrey Carruthers (PhD '68 econ), former governor of New Mexico
*George Washington Carver (1894 ag, MS 1896), honored scientist
*Carrie Chapman Catt (1880), founder, League of Women Voters
Lauro Cavazos (PhD ’54 physiology), former U.S. Secretary of Education
Vance D. Coffman (’67 aeronautical engr), retired CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Ann K. Cooper (’71 home ec journalism), former foreign correspondent, National Public Radio
John Cooper (’62 phys ed), former Ohio State University head football coach
John D. Cosgrove ('56 electrical engr), retired president, Rockwell Collins
Nancy Cox (’70 bacteriology), director of the Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and 2006 U.S. Federal Employee of the Year
Eric Crowell (’80 indus admin), CEO, Iowa Health Des Moines (Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Iowa Lutheran Hospital, and Blank Children’s Hospital)
Troy Davis (attended, ’96 soc), 1996 Heisman Trophy runner-up
Parviz Davoodi (MS '80 econ, PhD '81), first vice president of Iran
*Mildred Day (’28 home ec), created recipe for Rice Krispies Treats
*Vine Deloria (’58 gen sci), Native American rights leader
David Drury ('66 mathematics), CEO, Principal Financial Group
Michael J. Dubes (’66 phys ed), retired president, Conseco Insurance Group
Nawal El Moutawakel (’88 phys ed), first Arab woman, first African woman, and first Muslim woman to win Olympic gold and 2016 Olympics coordination commission chair (the first woman ever to chair the Olympics coordination commission)
Kay Eliason (’51 ag engr), construction manager, Great Alaska Pipeline
Dan Gable (’71 phys ed), Olympic gold medalist and noted collegiate coach, wrestling
Ron Galimore (’81 speech comm), first black U.S. Olympic gymnast
*John Garang (PhD ’81 econ), former vice president of Sudan and former leader of Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army
*Roswell Garst (attended, ’20 ani husb), established one of the world’s leading seed corn companies
*James Lorraine Geddes (1879), U.S. Civil War general and composer of war songs The Stars and Stripes and The Soldiers' Battle Prayer
John Gustafson (MS '80 math, PhD '82), inventor of Gustafson's Law of parallel computing
Thomas R. Harkin (’62 government), U.S. Senator, Iowa, who authored 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act
Isaiah Harris (’74 indus admin), former CFO, BellSouth
*Bourke Hickenlooper ('21 English & speech), former governor of Iowa
Darleane Christian Hoffman (’48 chem, PhD ’51), honored scientist
Fred Hoiberg (’95 finance), former NBA player and current Iowa State men's basketball head coach
Jeff Hornacek (’86 accounting), retired NBA all-star
Stanley Howe ('46 engineering), retired president/CEO of HON Industries
Kevin Jackson (attended, ’91 human sci), Olympic gold medalist, wrestling, and current Iowa State wrestling head coach
Allen Jacobson (’47 chem engr), retired CEO, 3-M
Jacqui Jeras (’92 journalism), weather anchor, CNN
Jerry Junkins (’59 elec engr), former CEO, Texas Instruments
Ric Jurgens (’71 indus admin), retired CEO, Hy-Vee
Jerry Knight (attended, ’70 journalism), retired Washington Post business writer
Tom Knudson (’80 journalism), two-time Pulitzer Prize winner
Ted Kooser (’62 English and speech), U.S. Poet Laureate (2004-2006) and Pulitzer Prize winner
*Robert Kowalski (’66 journalism, MS ’67 ag journalism), best-selling medical author
Dwight Ink (’47 pol sci), retired U.S. presidential advisor who worked with every administration from Eisenhower to Reagan
Donald Langenberg ('53 physics), former director, U.S. National Science Foundation; chancellor, University of Maryland system
Dave Loebsack (’74 pol sci MA ’76), U.S. representative, Iowa’s 2nd district
*Thomas H. MacDonald (1904 civil engr), Chief of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, 1919-1953
*Charles T. Manatt (’58 rural soc), former U.S. Ambassador to Dominican Republic and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee
*Samuel Massie (PhD ’46 chem), honored scientist
Richard McCormick (’61 elec engr), retired CEO, Qwest
*Elwood Mead (1883 civil engr), Bureau of Reclamation commissioner during the construction of the Hoover Dam; Lake Mead is named for him
*Otto Miller (’30 chem engr), former CEO, Standard Oil
Ed McCracken ('66 electrical engr), creator of Silicon Graphics, Inc.
*Conde McCullough (’10 civil engr), noted bridge architect
Sean McLaughlin (’88 journalism), Emmy-winning television meteorologist
Dan Mozena ('70 political sci), U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh
Yobes Ondieki (’86 marketing), first man to run 10,000 meters in under 27 minutes
*Frederick Douglass Patterson (DVM ’23, MS vet path ’27), founder, United Negro College Fund
Ben Peterson (’72 architecture), Olympic gold medalist, wrestling
James J. Renier (PhD ’55 chem), retired CEO, Honeywell
Jonathan D. Rich (’77 chem), CEO, Momentive, Inc.
Christine Romans (’93 journalism and French), CNN anchor and reporter
Bruce Roth (PhD ’81 organic chem), inventor, cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor
Jeffrey Saad ('89 hotel, restaurant, and instit mgmt), Food Network and Cooking Channel host/chef
Cael Sanderson (’01 art and design), Olympic gold medalist, wrestling, first-ever undefeated four-time NCAA wrestling champion, and current Penn State head wrestling coach
*Hugh Sidey (’50 journalism), presidential biographer and former White House columnist, Time
Paul Shirley (’00 mech engr), blogger and author
Todd Snyder ('92 apparel design), fashion designer and co-founder of Tailgate Clothing Co.
*Lauren Soth (’32 ag journalism, MS ’38 ag econ), Pulitzer-prize winning editorial writer
Subra Suresh (MS '79 mech engr), director, U.S. National Science Foundation
Sehat Sutardja (’83 elec engr), co-founder, Marvell Technology Group
Lee Teng-Hui (attended, ’53 ag econ), president, Republic of China, 1988-2000
Lois Tiffany (’45 botany, MS ’47, PhD ’50), national fungi expert
*Henry A. Wallace (’10 ani husb, MS ’26), U.S. vice president, 1941-1945
*Henry C. Wallace (1892 ani husb), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, 1921-1924
*Thomas Whitney (’61 elec engr, MS ’62, PhD ’64), inventor, pocket calculator
*Harley Wilhem (PhD ’31 chem), co-inventor, process for large-scale uranium production
*Thornton “T.A.” Wilson (’43 aeronautical engr), former CEO, Boeing Company
*Randall Wreghitt ('78 journalism), Broadway producer
Elizabeth Degarmo Yetley (’63 comm nutrition, MS ’70, PhD ’74), lead scientist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

*indicates deceased