This is a list of encyclopedic persons (students, alumni, faculty, staff, or academic affiliates) associated with California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State).
Alumni
Arts
Television and movies Carlos Alazraqui – actor, comedian – Reno 911! Jeffrey Boam (B.A. in Art) – screenwriter, producer"The Dead Zone" (Press kit). Paramount Pictures. 1983. Creed Bratton – actor, The Office Butterscotch, finalist, America's Got Talent, season 2 Kurt Caceres – actor. Retrieved 26 January 2015. Joe Carnahan (B.A. in Filmography) – film director, Smokin' Aces, The A-Team Ryan Coogler (BS in Business Administration (Finance)) – director of 2015 film Creed and Black Panther. Retrieved 16 February 2015. Matt Dearborn – creator of Even Stevens Giselle Fernández (B.A. in Journalism and Government) – former KTLA Morning News anchor Joseph Gutheinz (B.A. and M.A. in Criminal Justice) – retired attorney, appears in documentaries Moon for Sale and The Case of the Missing Moon Rocks Tom Hanks – Academy Award-winning film actor, director and producer Kristine Hanson (B.A. Communications, 1974) – television broadcaster, Playboy Playmate of the Month Joanna Hernandez – season one of the Bad Girls Club and winner of season one of For the Love of Ray J Lester Holt (B.A. Government) – anchor for flagship broadcast NBC Nightly News, host of Dateline and co-anchor of weekend edition of Today Karen Kilgariff – co-host of podcast My Favorite Murder, former head writer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Rosie Show Kayden Kross – adult film actress Joan Lunden (formerly known as Joanie Blunden) (B.A. Liberal Arts) – television personality, former co-host of Good Morning America Bridget Marquardt (B.A. Public Relations, 1998) – girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, featured on E! TV show The Girls Next Door Brian Posehn – stand-up comedian Rick Rossovich – actor, The Terminator, Top Gun, Roxanne Billy Marshall Stoneking (B.A. English, minor Philosophy, 1970) – Australian/American poet, filmmaker, writer, script editor and teacher Graham Streeter (BA Japanese and Business Administration) – screenwriter, film director Rene Syler (BA Psychology, 1987) – television personality, former host of The Early Show on CBS Shauvon Torres – cast member of The Real World, Sydney
Musicians Chi Cheng – bassist David Hodo (B.A. in Speech, 1969) – member of Village People Richard Maloof – musician. Retrieved 26 January 2015. Bobby McFerrin – composer and Grammy Award-winning musician ("Don't Worry, Be Happy") Charlie Peacock – singer Steve Turre – musician on Saturday Night Live Only Won – actor, rapper
Fine artists Fred Uhl Ball (BA and MA Art) – enamelist Jack Cassinetto (BA Art and English, 1966) – plein air painter Michael Patrick Cronan (BA Fine Arts 1974) – graphic designer and artist Xiomara De Oliver (BA 1988) – Canadian Black painter Mel Ramos (BA and MA, 1957) – artist Fritz Scholder (BA 1960) – Native American artist Wayne Thiebaud – artist and painter
Video games Matthew Griffin - game designer and marketer
Politicians and government
Janice Rogers Brown – Federal Appeals Court judge Christopher Cabaldon (Master's Public Policy and Administration 1994) – West Sacramento mayor Edward Chavez – mayor of Stockton 2005–09 Lloyd Connelly – Sacramento County judge Steven Cheung (did not graduate) – White House Communications Direction, 2025 https://www.npr.org/2024/11/15/nx-s1-5188707/trump-steven-cheung Ward Connerly (BA Government, 1962) – former University of California regent and political activist Mervyn Dymally (MA Government) – lieutenant governor of California 1975–79, U.S. representative 1981–93, assemblyman 2002–08 Bill Emmerson – California state senator Noreen Evans – California state assemblywoman Victor H. Fazio – U.S. congressman 1979–99 Bradford Fenocchio (BA Criminal Justice) – Placer County district attorney Cathleen Galgiani – California state assemblywoman Wally Herger – U.S. congressman 1987–2013 Karen Humphrey (MA Public Policy and Women's Studies) – mayor of Fresno 1989–93 Phil Isenberg – assemblyman 1982–96, mayor of Sacramento 1975–82 Grantland Johnson – former California cabinet official Patrick Johnston – former California State Legislator Bill Leonard – former State Board of Equalization member and legislator Lloyd Levine – former California state assemblyman Daniel Logue – California state assemblyman Steve March – Oregon state representative (BA Social Science 1968) Kevin McCarthy – alumnus of school's Capital Fellows Program, U.S. congressman for California's 23rd congressional district Kevin McCarty (Master's Public Policy and Administration 2011) – California state assemblyman Cathy Mitchell – former acting California secretary of state Don Nottoli – Sacramento County supervisor, 5th district George A. Plescia – former California state assemblyman Richard Rainey – former California state senator Robert Rivas – Speaker of the California State Assembly Jan Scully – Sacramento County District Attorney Joe Serna – mayor of Sacramento 1992–99 Frank Skartados – New York State Assemblyman, 2009–11 and 2013–18 Lori Wilson – CA state assemblymember 2022–present
International politicians Fernando Chui – chief executive of Macau Rudolf Hommes – Colombian politician and academic Mahmoud Vaezi – chief of staff of the president of Iran
Business Dale Carlsen – Sleep Train Mattress Centers founder Doug Lipp (MA in International Business Communications) – consultant, speaker, author, CEO and president of G. Douglas Lipp & Associates Tracey Panek (MA in History) – historian and archivist Angelo Tsakopoulos (BA Government, BS Business Administration, honorary doctorate in Human Letters) – real estate mogul
Authors and academics Ann Bannon – lesbian pulp fiction author, professor JaNay Brown-Wood – children's book author"JaNay Brown-Wood." Something About the Author, vol. 380, Gale, 2022, pp. 15-17. Gale Literature: Something About the Author. Accessed 5 May 2023. Russ Buettner – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times Raymond Carver – fiction author, poet, screenwriter Richard Ebeling (BA in Economics) – libertarian author, president of Foundation for Economic Education John Fund – political journalist, currently national-affairs reporter for National Review OnlineJohn Fund|National Review Chester Gorman – anthropologist Marisa Kelly (BA in 1986) – political scientist and president of Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts Janet Nichols Lynch – writer and professor Mary Mackey – fiction author, poet, screenwriter, and professor emeritus (English) Richard J. Maybury – economist and author on topics of international business, law, history, juris naturalism Laura Moriarty – poet and novelist Alan Reynolds – economist and author Tukufu Zuberi – professor and chairman of Sociology Department, University of Pennsylvania
Other notables Joseph James DeAngelo – the Golden State Killer Anthony Sadler – assisted in thwarting 2015 French train terror attack Maluseu Doris Tulifau – Samoan-American human rights activist
Athletes Baseball
Scott Burcham (born 1993) – American-Israeli baseball shortstop in the Colorado Rockies organization Rhys Hoskins (born 1993) – first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers Ethan Katz (born 1983) – pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox Sam Long (born 1995) – baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics Nathan Lukes (born 1994) – outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays Buck Martinez – 17-year MLB catcher and later an MLB manager Alyssa Nakken -– first female coach in Major League Baseball James Outman – outfielder for the Detroit Tigers Tim Wheeler (born 1988) – professional baseball player; was the 2011Texas League home run champion.
Basketball
Mike Bibby (born 1978) – men's basketball head coach, 2025–present Cody Demps (born 1993) – basketball player for New Taipei CTBC DEA of the T1 League Nick Hornsby (born 1995) – basketball player for Eisbären Bremerhaven of the ProA Joel Jones (born 1981) – member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team Shaquille O'Neal (born 1972) – men's basketball general manager, 2025–present Joshua Patton (born 1997) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Football
Otis Amey – wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Gladiators, Austin Wranglers, Sacramento Mountain Lions McLeod Bethel-Thompson – quarterback for Minnesota Vikings DaRon Bland – NFL cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys; named First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2023, also led NFL in interceptions in 2023 DeAndre Carter – NFL wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, previously played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, Washington Football Team, and Los Angeles Chargers Mike Carter – former NFL wide receiver Marko Cavka – offensive lineman for Hamilton Tiger-Cats of Canadian Football League Dan Chamberlain – played for Buffalo Bills Elijah Dotson – NFL running back for the Los Angeles Chargers Jeff Fleming – former Sacramento State player Aaron Garcia – former Arena Football League quarterback John Gesek – former National Football League offensive lineman Tyronne Gross – running back for San Diego Chargers Cole Hikutini – tight end for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League, previously played in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers Jon Kirksey – defensive tackle, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams Lorenzo Lynch – former NFL defensive back Marte Mapu – NFL linebacker for the New England Patriots, 2022 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Zack Nash – linebacker for Arizona Cardinals 2012 Lonie Paxton – lineman for Denver Broncos Ricky Ray – quarterback for Toronto Argonauts of Canadian Football League Charles Roberts – running back for B.C. Lions of Canadian Football League Darnell Sankey – linebacker for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, previously played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts Kato Serwanga – NFL cornerback from 1998–2003 Wasswa Serwanga – NFL cornerback from 1999–2003 Daimon Shelton – nine-year NFL fullback Taylor Tappin – offensive lineman who played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League Kevin Thomson – quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League
Softball Alyssa Nakken – first female coach in MLB for the San Francisco Giants
Soccer
Joe Enochs (born 1971) – former professional soccer player Benji Kikanović (born 2000) – Major League Soccer player Jamel Mitchell (born 1975) – Major League Soccer player
Sports figures (non-athletes) Darren Arbet – coach for San Jose SaberCats of AFL Clancy Barone – tight ends coach for Minnesota Vikings, offensive line coach for Denver Broncos Pat Doyle – baseball coach Brian Katz – Sacramento State men's basketball coach Greg Knapp – quarterbacks coach Mike Lange – sports broadcaster and member of Hockey Hall of Fame
Faculty, staff, and other academics
Current Joseph Palermo – associate professor of history, author Mona L. Siegel – professor of history Stephanie Brown Trafton – athletics coach, Olympic gold medalist Michael G. Vann – professor of history J. Luke Wood – university president
Emeritus Ann Bannon – professor of English, associate dean in College of Arts and Sciences Paul Goldstene – professor of Government Stephen L. Harris – professor and chair of Humanities and Religious Studies Wes Jackson – professor of Environmental Sciences Frank Kofsky – professor of History Mary Mackey – professor of English and writer-in-residence Joe Serna, Jr. – professor of Government Miklos Udvardy – professor of Biological Sciences Angus Wright – professor of Environmental Sciences
Former Bob Barney – professor of physical education (1969–70) Peter Grandbois – professor of English 2006–2010 Paul Carter Harrison – professor of Theatre (1970–1972)