This list of notable people associated with Claremont McKenna College includes matriculating students, alumni, attendees, faculty, trustees, and honorary degree recipients of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California.
Notable alumni
Politics NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceSteve BullockClass of 1988Governor of Montana (2013–2021); attorney general of Montana (2009–2013); DemocratB.A.Todd AchillesClass of 1990Member, Idaho House of Representatives, Democrat (2024-2025); candidate for U.S. Senate (2025-2026), IndependentB.A.Ken CheuvrontClass of 1983Member, Arizona State Senate; DemocratB.A.Patrick J. ConroyClass of 197260th chaplain of the United States House of RepresentativesB.A.Chuck DeVoreClass of 1985Member, California State Assembly, candidate for U.S. Senate; RepublicanB.A.David DreierClass of 1975Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California and chairman of the House Rules Committee; RepublicanB.A.Johnny EllisClass of 1982Minority leader, Alaska State Senate; DemocratB.A.Sean ElsberndClass of 1997Member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors; DemocratB.A.Thomas B. HofellerPolitical consultant B.A.Rob HurttClass of 1966California State Senate Republican Leader, 1995–1998B.A.Adam KokeshClass of 2006Political activist, talk radio hostB.A.Tom LeppertClass of 1977Former chief executive officer of Kaplan, Inc, mayor of Dallas, Texas (2007–2011)B.A.Tyler OlsonClass of 1998House member for the 38th district of IowaB.A.Surin PitsuwanClass of 1972Secretary-general, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, former Thai Minister of Foreign AffairsB.A.Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-SabahClass of 1978Prime minister of the State of KuwaitB.A.Simon SalinasClass of 1978Monterey County supervisor, former member of the California State AssemblyB.A.
Nonprofit NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceHugh GallagherDisability advocate, drafted the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968B.A.
Business NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceMichael ArringtonClass of 1992Internet entrepreneur, founder of Techcrunch, co-founder of CrunchFundB.A.Chris InnesClass of 1992CEO of Dream America, American FinancierB.A.Chris BuskirkWriter, co-founder of Rockbridge Network and 1789 CapitalB.A.Sloane CitronClass of 1978Magazine publisherB.A.Robert Addison DayFormer chairman and chief executive officer of Trust Company of the West; chairman and president of the W. M. Keck FoundationB.A.Michael S. JeffriesClass of 1966Chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch Co.B.A.Michael LarsonClass of 1980Chief investment officer of Cascade Investment, the investment vehicle for the Gates Foundation and the Gates' personal wealthB.A.Patrick LencioniClass of 1987Best-selling management book author, corporate speakerB.A.Tom LeppertClass of 1977Former chief executive officer of Kaplan, Inc, mayor of Dallas, Texas (2007–2011)B.A.Ashwin NavinClass of 1999President and co-founder of BitTorrent, Inc., founder of The Claremont Independent B.A.Augie NietoClass of 1980Founder of Life Fitness and Augie's QuestB.A.Douglas PetersonClass of 1980S&P Global president and CEOB.A.Thomas PritzkerClass of 1972Executive chairman, Hyatt Corporation and member of the Pritzker family B.A.George R. RobertsClass of 1966Founding partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.B.A.Julie Sweet Chief executive officer of AccentureB.A.Peter ThumClass of 1990Founder of Ethos Water, and social entrepreneurB.A.Peter WeinbergClass of 1979 CEO of Goldman Sachs 1999–2005, founder of Perella Weinberg PartnersB.A.
Academia NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceOrley AshenfelterClass of 1964Joseph Douglas Green 1895 Professor of Economics at Princeton University; former editor of the American Economic ReviewB.A.Tibor R. MachanClass of 1965Former editor of Reason magazine, Stanford Hoover Institution fellow and professor at Chapman UniversityB.A.Vincent Phillip MuñozClass of 1993Tocqueville Associate Professor of Religion & Public Life in the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre DameB.A.Harriet NembhardClass of 1988President of Harvey Mudd College, 2023–Jack L. StarkClass of 1957Former CMC presidentB.A.Francisco VázquezClass of 1972Professor and director of the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at Sonoma State UniversityB.A.
Entertainment NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferencePaul BrickmanClass of 1971Screenwriter, producer, and filmmaker; directed and wrote the screenplay for Risky BusinessB.A.Mason GordonClass of 1997Inventor of SlamBallB.A.John KingClass of 1986Half of the music-producing duo The Dust BrothersB.A.Douglas Day StewartClass of 1962Screenwriter of An Officer and a GentlemanB.A.Dean Taylor Class of 1972Vice president of Baseball Operations, assistant general manager of the Kansas City RoyalsB.A.Claire ThomasClass of 2007Food blogger and presenter of Food for Thought on Food NetworkB.A.
Military NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceWilliam W. CrouchClass of 1963Retired United States Army four-star general; former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States ArmyB.A.Ron RidenhourClass of 1972My Lai massacre whistleblower, Vietnam War whistleblowerB.A.
Writing and journalism NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceDavid EnrichClass of 2001Reporter, Wall Street JournalB.A.Gregg Jarrett Class of 1977Anchor, Fox News ChannelB.A.Michael D. ShearClass of 1990White House Correspondent, New York TimesB.A.
Dropouts and transfers NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceMike FeuerN/ALos Angeles city attorney, former California assemblyman and L.A. city councilman (transferred to Harvard, where he got his BA and JD)N/ABlake GottesmanN/APersonal aide to President George W. BushN/AWes ParkerN/ABaseball player, Los Angeles DodgersN/ARobin Williams Actor and comedianN/AThe Playboy Interviews: The Comedians, edited by Stephen Randall, 2007, p.342
Notable faculty William Ascher - Donald C. McKenna Professor of Government and Economics; dean of the faculty 2000–2005; prolific author; winner of the G. David Huntoon, Sr., Award for Superior Teaching Fred Balitzer - professor of government; director of the Republican National Committee under President Ronald Reagan, chairman of Scholars for Reagan-Bush in 1984, and special emissary to the Sultan of Brunei; helped bring about diplomatic relations with China and Israel and played a leading role in preventing efforts to make the District of Columbia a state Roderic Ai Camp - McKenna Professor of the Pacific Rim; author of 34 books on Mexico and Latin America; founding member of the Advisory Board, Mexico Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center, Smithsonian Institution, 2003–present; elected member of the Council on Foreign Relations, New York; Global Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center, 2017–present; recipient of the Medal of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor bestowed to a foreigner for his contributions to Mexico Ross Eckert - professor of economics who dedicated his life to cleaning up the blood supply; worked on market-incentives to reduce congestion; worked to rescue the U.S. Laws of the Sea from degradation (deceased) Ward Elliott - researched market solutions to Los Angeles smog problem; drafted the economic-incentives of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 Diane Halpern - former president of the American Psychological Association Eric Helland - professor of Economics, senior staff economist, President's Council of Economic Advisers (2003–2004) Alan Heslop - government consultant, founding director of the Rose Institute, felon, and former dean of faculty Harry V. Jaffa - professor of political philosophy, scholar of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Aristotelian virtue, and the American founding; The National Review described Jaffa as "the foremost contemporary interpreter of the American political tradition" Charles Kesler - editor of the Claremont Review of Books and noted conservative scholar Jamaica Kincaid - novelist Kenneth P. Miller - professor of Government specializing in California politics, direct democracy, and state constitutional law; associate director of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government Jonathan Petropoulos - historian and scholar of Holocaust-era looted art Mort Sahl - speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy; famed comedian Michael Uhlmann - former assistant attorney general to President Gerald Ford; special assistant to President Ronald Reagan; reportedly convinced Justice Clarence Thomas to join the federal judiciary
References