List of University of Iowa alumni

This list of University of Iowa alumni includes notable current and former students of the University of Iowa.

Academia

Michael J. Budds – musicologist and professor at the University of Missouri School of Music, inducted into the Missouri Music Hall of Fame Edwin Adams Davis – M.A. from Iowa; historian of Louisiana; father of Louisiana state archives; Louisiana State University professor Shardé M. Davis – assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut James R. Dow – emeritus professor of German at Iowa State University R. William Field – associate professor, College of Public Health, University of Iowa Elnora M. Gilfoyle – occupational therapist; dean of the College of Applied Human Sciences and provost/academic vice president at Colorado State University Pankaj Jain - Professor of philosophy, religious studies, film studies, and sustainability Michael P. Johnson – emeritus professor of sociology, Pennsylvania State University James Kennedy – professor of the history of the Netherlands at the University of Amsterdam Otto Kraushaar – former president of Goucher College, long-time professor in philosophy at Smith College Minnette Gersh Lenier – teacher who used stage magic to improve students' learning skills Cindy Lovell – educator and writer; executive director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum and Mark Twain House Robert Moyers – founder of Center of Growth and Development at University of Michigan Tina Passman – classical scholar Jewel Prestage – dean of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University, first African-American woman to earn Ph.D. in Political Science W. Ann Reynolds – chancellor of the California State University and City University of New York Noliwe Rooks – associate director of the African-American program at Princeton University, W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of Literature at Cornell University, chair of and professor in the Africana Studies Department at Brown University, founding director of the Segrenomics Lab at Brown University Jim Rossi – law professor at Vanderbilt University Clifford V. Smith, Jr. – 4th chancellor of University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee William A. Staples – president of the University of Houston–Clear Lake Lee Edward Travis – psychologist considered one of the founding fathers of speech pathology John E. Visser – president of Emporia State University, 1967–1984 Pramod P. Wangikar – chemical engineer and professor at Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Business Helen Brockman – fashion designer John Bucksbaum – former chairman and chief executive officer of GGP Inc. Jim Foster – founder of the Arena Football League Paul P. Harris – lawyer and founder of the first Rotary Club Scott Heiferman – founder and CEO, Meetup.com; founder, Fotolog.com Howard R. Hughes, Sr. – father of aviation pioneer and film producer Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. and builder of his fortune that started his empire Kerry Killinger – chairman and CEO of Washington Mutual Kelly Ortberg – president and CEO of Boeing from August 2024 Bill Perkins – hedge fund manager, film producer Richard J. Schnieders – former chairman, president, and CEO of Sysco C. Maxwell Stanley – engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist; founder of Stanley Consultants and Stanley Foundation; co-founder of HON Industries Brian Thompson (1974–2024) – CEO of UnitedHealthcare Ted Waitt – co-founder of Gateway, Inc. Frank R. Wallace (pen name of Wallace Ward), 1957, entrepreneur, publisher, writer, and developer of the Neo-Tech philosophy

Government and politics

Cindy Axne – former United States congresswoman Austin Baeth – member of the Iowa House of Representatives Theodore J. Bauer – former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fred H. Blume – justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court for 42 years David E. Bonior – formerly represented Michigan in the United States House of Representatives; former member of President Barack Obama's Economic Advisory Board John Boyd – military strategist, United States Air Force fighter pilot and Pentagon consultant; inspired the Lightweight Fighter program, co-created the Energy-Maneuverability theory of aerial combat, and developed the OODA loop decision cycle, Terry Branstad – two-time governor of Iowa, and longest-tenured governor in the nation John Burke – tenth Governor of North Dakota James Cartwright – retired U.S. Marine Corps general and the 8th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Norm Coleman – former junior Republican U.S. senator of Minnesota James Dooge – Irish senator and academic in the area of hydrology; served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Irish Government, and instrumental in forming the framework of the modern European Union and beginning the debate on climate change Martha Angle Dorsett – first woman admitted to the Bar of Minnesota (in 1878) James B. French – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly Luz Maria Frias – Deputy Attorney General of Minnesota and president-CEO of YWCA Minnesota Greg Ganske – politician from Iowa Paul C. Gartzke – presiding judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals Mads Gilbert – Norwegian doctor in Gaza providing humanitarian care at Al-Shifa Hospital during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict Lea Giménez – master's degree in economics, Minister of Finance (Paraguay) Bill Gustoff – member of the Iowa House of Representatives Silas B. Hays – Surgeon General of the United States Army Leo Hoegh – former governor of Iowa and National Security Council member Brian Hook – former U.S. Special Representative for Iran and senior policy advisor to the Secretary of State 2018–2020; former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs David W. Hopkins – former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri Chuck Horner – United States Air Force general; commanded Coalition Air Forces during the Gulf War Edward F. Howrey – chair of the Federal Trade CommissionU.S. Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, "Nomination of Edward F. Howrey to Federal Trade Commission" (March 18, 1953), p. 1-2. Robert L. Hunter – presiding judge of the Divorce Division of the Cook County Circuit Court, 1951 Republican nominee for mayor of Chicago, and NFL playerMultiple sources: Cheryl L. Johnson – lawyer and 36th clerk of the United States House of Representatives Patty Judge – former lieutenant governor of Iowa and 2016 candidate for the US Senate George Koval – Soviet intelligence officer and Hero of the Russian Federation Alan Larson (born 1949) – diplomat and ambassador Robert L. Larson – former member of the Iowa Supreme Court Donald P. Lay – judge of the Eighth Circuit Ronald H. Lingren – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly John Walter Grant MacEwan – MS 1928; Western Canadian lieutenant governor of Alberta; Canadian legislator; mayor of Calgary Mary Mascher – member of the Iowa House of Representatives Andy McKean – Iowa politician Mo Mowlam – member of Parliament (United Kingdom); member of Prime Minister Tony Blair's Cabinet 1997–2001; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1997–1999 Jayaprakash Narayan – Indian freedom fighter, social reformer, politician Kay A. Orr – first female governor of Nebraska; Republican John E. Osborn – former commissioner, U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy Charles Pelton (born 1940) – member of the Iowa House of Representatives Gregory A. Peterson – judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals John Pickler – member of the United States House of Representatives Coleen Rowley – shared 2002 Time "Person of the Year" award; the FBI whistleblower who helped bring in terrorist suspect Zacarias Moussaoui Lawrence F. Scalise – attorney general of Iowa (1965–1966) Juanita Kidd Stout – first woman appointed as a federal judge; Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Jim Summerville – Tennessee senator Wang Huning – member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese political theorist, former dean of the School of Law and chair of the Department of International Politics, Fudan University Perry Warjiyo (Ph.D., 1991) – Central Bank governor, Republic of Indonesia Kara Westercamp – Associate White House Counsel and Judge of the United States Court of International Trade Hugh E. Wild – U.S. Air Force brigadier general Ann Williams – member of Illinois House of Representatives Elizabeth Wilson – member of the Iowa House of Representatives Wu Jin – Minister of Education of Taiwan, 1996–1998

Art and architecture Vito Acconci - conceptual and performance artist Mildred Beltre – multi-disciplinary artist; co-founder of Brooklyn Hi-Art! Machine Shirley Briggs – artist and writer; studied under Grant Wood; provided artwork for projects within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and worked on dioramas for the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History David Cantine – Canadian artist Elizabeth Catlett – painter; studied under Grant Wood; first African American woman to earn an MFA from the University of Iowa Robert D. Cocke – painter Eve Drewelowe – painter Mary Hecht – American-born Canadian sculptor Joey Kirkpatrick (born 1952) – glass artist, sculptor, wire artist, and educator Baulu Kuan – artist and curator Barbara Lekberg – metal sculptor Evan Lindquist – Artist Laureate of the State of Arkansas Ana Mendieta – Cuban-American mixed-media artist Kenneth Roderick O'Neal (1908–1989) – architect Charles Ray – contemporary artist Joe Sharpnack – editorial cartoonist Rudi Stern – multimedia artist Kirsten Ulve – graphic artist

Literature and journalism Melissa Albert – author of young adult fiction Goodwin Tutum Anim – Ghanaian journalist Mildred Benson – writer under pen name Carolyn Keene of Nancy Drew books T. C. Boyle – PEN/Faulkner award-winning writer (World's End, Drop City) Tom Brokaw – broadcast journalist, former anchor (NBC Nightly News), author (The Greatest Generation); dropped out after one year Elizabeth C. Bunce – author (A Curse Dark as Gold, Premeditated Myrtle, Cold-Blooded Myrtle) Chelsea Cain – writer (Heartsick, Mockingbird) Mary Calhoun - children's book author (Katie John series) Sandra Cisneros – author (The House on Mango Street) William R. Clabby – journalist and editor for The Wall Street Journal, winner of a Gerald Loeb Award, and executive at various Dow Jones news subsidiaries Max Allan Collins – writer of comic strip Dick Tracy (took over in 1977 when strip creator Chester Gould retired); also writes mystery novels Justin Cronin – author (The Passage, The Twelve) Rita Dove – 1993 Poet Laureate of the United States David Drake – science-fiction writer (Hammer's Slammers series) Andre Dubus – short story writer (Killings – adapted into 2001 film In the Bedroom) Jeannette Eyerly – writer of young adult fiction Joshua Ferris – novelist Charles Gaines – author (Pumping Iron) and inventor of paintball George Gallup – founder of the Gallup Poll Ezzat Goushegir – playwright Garth Greenwell – author (What Belongs to You) Oscar Hahn – author Joe Haldeman – science-fiction writer (The Forever War) Kathryn Harrison – author (Thicker than Water) A.M. Homes – author (The Safety of Objects) L. D. Hotchkiss – editor-in-chief, Los Angeles Times John Irving – writer (A Widow for One Year, The World According to Garp) Amy Jacobson – Chicago broadcast journalist Leslie Jamison – author (The Empathy Exams) Denis Johnson – author (Jesus' Son) W.P. Kinsella – author (Shoeless Joe, the book on which Field of Dreams was based) Kari Lake – television news anchor for KSAZ-TV William Lashner – author of Past Due Robie Macauley – novelist and editor of Playboy Anthony Marra – author (A Constellation of Vital Phenomena) Bharati Mukherjee – Bengali-American writer Flannery O'Connor – novelist and author of numerous short stories