61 Notable alumni of Clark Atlanta University
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Clark Atlanta University is 1935st in the world, 1st in North America, and 478st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 61 notable alumni from Clark Atlanta University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Clark Atlanta University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Ardie Clark Halyard
1896-1989 (aged 93)
businessperson
banker
Ardie A. Clark Halyard was a banker, activist and first woman president of the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
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2. Reatha King
1936-. (aged 90)
philanthropist
businessperson
chemist
university teacher
Reatha Belle Clark King is an American chemist, the former vice president of the General Mills Corporation; and the former president, executive director, and chairman of the board of trustees of the General Mills Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of General Mills, Inc.
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3. Josephine Dibble Murphy
1888-1974 (aged 86)
Josephine Dibble Murphy was an American educator, community leader, and activist. She is best known for her exemplary community leadership in education and service, especially within the Atlanta branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the NAACP, and the Atlanta University Alumni Association. Josephine believed, "If there is to be any future to peace in the world...
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4. Dinah Watts Pace
1853-1933 (aged 80)
teacher
Dinah Watts Pace was an American educator who founded black schools in Covington, Georgia and later founded the Covington Colored Children's Orphanage, which she ran for over forty years. Raised as a slave, she received her diploma in education from Atlanta University and gained a nationwide reputation for her charitable work with orphans.
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5. Butler R. Wilson
1861-1939 (aged 78)
Butler Roland Wilson was an attorney, civil rights activist, and humanitarian based in Boston, Massachusetts. Born in Georgia, he came to Boston for law school and lived there for the remainder of his life. For over fifty years, he worked to combat racial discrimination in Massachusetts. He was one of the first African-American members of the American Bar Association. Wilson...
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6. LaShanda Korley
chemist
scientist
teacher
LaShanda Teresa James Korley is a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science at the University of Delaware and an expert in soft matter, polymers, and nature-inspired materials. On a larger scale, Korley is also working on developing strategies and technologies to prevent plastic waste in landfills and oceans by upcycling plastic waste to more valuable products. She leads such efforts through...
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7. Silas X. Floyd
1869-1923 (aged 54)
journalist
Silas Xavier Floyd was an African-American educator, preacher, and journalist. Active in Augusta, Georgia, he was a writer and editor at the Augusta Sentinel and later wrote for the Augusta Chronicle. In 1892 he co-founded the Negro Press Association of Georgia. He was pastor at Augusta's Tabernacle Baptist Church and was a prominent agent of the International Sunday School Convention....
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8. Augustus Granville Dill
1881-1956 (aged 75)
historian
human rights defender
sociologist
social worker
Augustus Granville Dill was an American sociologist, civil rights and labor organizer and activist, musician, member of the NAACP and academic. During his career in academia he made early and major contributions to race relations in labor.
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9. William H. Crogman
1841-1931 (aged 90)
university teacher
classical philologist
educator
William Henry Crogman was a Dutch Caribbean and American pioneering educator and classicist at Clark University of Atlanta in the United States. The William H. Crogman School in Atlanta is named for him. He was the 11th president of Clark College (now known as Clark Atlanta University).
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10. C. Hartley Grattan
1902-1980 (aged 78)
historian
economist
Clinton Hartley Grattan was an American economic analyst, historian, critic, and professor emeritus, who was considered one of the leading American authorities on 20th-century Australian history.
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11. Pernessa C. Seele
1954-. (aged 72)
immunologist
Pernessa C. Seele is an American immunologist and interfaith public health activist. Seele is the CEO and founder of Balm in Gilead, Inc., a religious-based organization that provides support to people with AIDS and their families, as well as working for prevention of HIV and AIDS. In 1989, she initiated the Harlem Week of Prayer, with 50 churches, synagogues and...
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12. LaRoche Jackson
1984-. (aged 42)
American football player
LaRoche J. Jackson is an American former football defensive back. He played as a defensive back for Clark Atlanta University. He was signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Sharks in 2010, played for the championship Sharks team in 2011, and played for the Sharks throughout 2012. He signed with the Lakeland Raiders in 2013. On March 30, 2013,...
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13. Elizabeth Duncan Koontz
1919-1989 (aged 70)
educator
teacher
Elizabeth Duncan Koontz was an American figure in education, civil rights and the women's movement. She was the first African-American president of the National Education Association and director of the United States Department of Labor Women's Bureau.
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14. Warren Elliot Henry
1909-2001 (aged 92)
physicist
Warren Elliot Henry was an American physicist, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his work in the fields of magnetism and superconductivity. He made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology and education, training and mentoring several generations of physicists.
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15. Henry Lincoln Johnson Sr
1870-1925 (aged 55)
lawyer
archivist
Henry Lincoln Johnson was an African-American attorney and politician from the state of Georgia. He is best remembered as one of the most prominent African-American Republicans of the first two decades of the 20th century and as a leader of the dominant black-and-tan faction of the Republican Party of Georgia. He was appointed by President William Howard Taft as Recorder...
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16. Janaye Ingram
1979-. (aged 47)
beauty pageant contestant
beauty queen
Janaye Michelle Ingram is a political organizer from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
17. Billy McKinney
1927-2010 (aged 83)
politician
James Edward "Billy" McKinney was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. McKinney served as a Democrat in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1973 until 2003. He was also the father of former Georgia congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney.
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18. Richard R. Wright
1855-1947 (aged 92)
banker
university president
educator
Richard Robert Wright Sr. was an American military officer, educator and college president, politician, civil rights advocate and banking entrepreneur. Among his many accomplishments, he founded a high school, a college, and a bank. He also founded the National Freedom Day Association in 1941.
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19. Charles Clinton Spaulding
1874-1952 (aged 78)
businessperson
Charles Clinton Spaulding was an American business leader. For close to thirty years, he presided over North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, which became America's largest black-owned business, with assets of over 40 million US$ at his death.
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20. Nikky Finney
1957-. (aged 69)
poet
writer
Nikky Finney is an American poet. She was the Guy Davenport Endowed Professor of English at the University of Kentucky for twenty years. In 2013, she accepted a position at the University of South Carolina as the John H. Bennett, Jr. Chair in Southern Letters and Literature. An alumna of Talladega College, and author of four books of poetry and...
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21. Otis Johnson
1942-. (aged 84)
politician
Otis Samuel Johnson is an American social worker, educator and politician from the U.S. state of Georgia who served as the Mayor of Savannah from 2004 until 2012. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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22. Louis T. Wright
1891-1952 (aged 61)
surgeon
Louis Tompkins Wright was an American surgeon and civil rights activist. In his position at Harlem Hospital he was the first African-American on the surgical staff of a non-segregated hospital in New York City. He was influential for his medical research as well as his efforts pushing for racial equality in medicine and involvement with the National Association for the...
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23. Lucy Craft Laney
1854-1933 (aged 79)
educator
suffragist
Lucy Craft Laney was an American educator who in 1883 founded the first school for black children in Augusta, Georgia. She was principal for 50 years of the Haines Institute for Industrial and Normal Education.
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24. Kenny Leon
1956-. (aged 70)
television director
director
film director
theatrical director
actor
Kenny Leon is an American director and actor. He is notable for his extensive work on Broadway and television as well as in regional theater. He has received a Tony Award and a Drama League Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Drama Desk Award.
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25. Amanda America Dickson
1849-1893 (aged 44)
socialite
Amanda America Dickson was an African-American socialite in Georgia who became known as one of the wealthiest African-American women of the 19th century after inheriting a large estate from her white planter father.
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26. Charlie Heat
1989-. (aged 37)
composer
record producer
Ernest Eugene Brown III, known professionally as Charlie Heat, is an American record producer. He signed with Very GOOD Beats, the in-house production wing of Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2015. During and after his departure from the label in 2018, he has been credited on releases for artists including Denzel Curry, Lil Uzi Vert, Tommy Genesis, Madonna, Midwxst, Ty...
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27. Marva Collins
1936-2015 (aged 79)
teacher
Marva Delores Collins was an American educator. Collins is best known for creating Westside Preparatory School, a widely acclaimed private elementary school in the impoverished Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, which opened in 1975.
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28. Ellia English
1960-. (aged 66)
stage actor
pianist
television actor
actor
film actor
Ellia English is an American singer, dancer, stage and film actress. She is best known for her role as Aunt Helen King on the comedy sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show which originally ran from 1996 to 2001, where she was featured in a central role and was paired onscreen with Garrett Morris, who played her husband Junior King. English also...
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29. Marilyn Strickland
1962-. (aged 64)
politician
mayor
Marilyn Strickland is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district. The district is based in the state capital of Olympia, and also includes much of eastern Tacoma.
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30. Don Cannon
1979-. (aged 47)
composer
record producer
disc jockey
music executive
Donald Cannon is an American DJ, record producer, and record executive who served as Vice President of A&R at Def Jam Recordings from 2012 to 2018. With DJ Drama, he is the co-founder of the record label Generation Now, an imprint of Atlantic Records that has signed artists including Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow. Furthermore, Cannon and DJ Drama...
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31. Henry Ossian Flipper
1856-1940 (aged 84)
engineer
military officer
Henry Ossian Flipper was an American soldier, engineer, former slave and in 1877, the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, earning a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He was also an author who wrote about scientific topics and his life experiences.
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32. Hosea Williams
1926-2000 (aged 74)
politician
scientist
Hosea Lorenzo Williams was an American civil rights leader, activist, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist, and politician. He was considered a member of famed civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King Jr.'s inner circle. Under the banner of their flagship organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King depended on Williams to organize and stir masses of...
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33. Ajamu Baraka
1954-. (aged 72)
politician
human rights defender
Ajamu Sibeko Baraka is an American political activist. In 2016, he was the Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States on the ballot in 45 states and received 1,457,216 votes (1.07% of the popular vote).
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34. Fletcher Henderson
1897-1952 (aged 55)
conductor
pianist
composer
bandleader
jazz musician
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical arrangers and, along with Duke Ellington, is considered one of the most influential arrangers and bandleaders in jazz history. Henderson's influence was vast. He helped bridge the gap...
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35. DJ Drama
1978-. (aged 48)
record producer
disc jockey
rapper
Tyree Cinque Simmons, known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gain prominence hosting mixtapes for other hip-hop artists. His trademark Gangsta Grillz series is present on releases of which he has compiled; it has been popularized by...
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36. Ralph Abernathy
1926-1990 (aged 64)
religious leader
human rights defender
theologian
Christian minister
civil rights advocate
Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was ordained in the Baptist tradition in 1948. Being a leader of the civil rights movement, he was a close friend and mentor of Martin Luther King Jr. He collaborated with King and E. D. Nixon to create the Montgomery Improvement Association, which led to the...
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37. Bobby V
1980-. (aged 46)
singer-songwriter
singer
Bobby Marcel Wilson, better known by his stage name Bobby V (formerly known as Bobby Valentino), is an American R&B singer. Born in Jackson, Mississippi and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he formed the R&B group Mista in 1994, prior to signing with Ludacris' record label, Disturbing tha Peace, in 2005.
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38. Emmanuel Lewis
1971-. (aged 55)
child actor
television actor
Emmanuel Lewis is a retired American actor, best known for playing the title character in the sitcom Webster. He was one of American television's biggest stars in the mid-1980s.
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39. Eva Marcille
1984-. (aged 42)
actor
television actor
model
Eva Marcille Sterling is an American actress, fashion model and television personality. She rose to prominence after she won the third cycle of America's Next Top Model. Afterwards, she starred as Tracie Evans in Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2007–2012), and landed the role of Tyra Hamilton on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless (2008–2009). Marcille...
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40. Kenya Barris
1974-. (aged 52)
television director
film director
director
actor
television producer
Kenya Barris is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the ABC sitcom Black-ish (2014–2022).
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41. Akon
1973-. (aged 53)
singer
philanthropist
songwriter
entrepreneur
record producer
Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, is a Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, record producer, businessman and philanthropist. An influential figure in world music, he rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of his single "Locked Up" (featuring Styles P). Styled in hip-hop, it preceded the release of his debut studio album Trouble (2004), which...
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42. Harriet Mitchell Murphy
1927-2024 (aged 97)
judge
Harriet Mitchell Murphy was the first African-American woman appointed to a regular judgeship in Texas.
43. Tiona Nekkia McClodden
1981-. (aged 45)
visual artist
Tiona Nekkia McClodden is an interdisciplinary research-based conceptual artist, filmmaker and curator based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
44. Earl F. Hilliard
1942-. (aged 84)
lawyer
politician
Earl Frederick Hilliard is an American politician from the U.S. state of Alabama who served as the U.S. representative for the state's 7th district. He served in the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate. His son Earl Hilliard Jr. is also a politician.
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45. Major Owens
1936-2013 (aged 77)
librarian
politician
bureaucrat
Major Robert Odell Owens was an American politician and librarian who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007, representing the New York's 11th and then 12th congressional district. He was first elected to replace retiring representative Shirley Chisholm. Owens shepherded the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 through the House. He retired at the end...
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46. Ellen Diggs
1906-1998 (aged 92)
anthropologist
Ellen Irene Diggs was an American anthropologist, sociologist, and historian. She was the writer of a major contribution to African American history, Black Chronology: From 4,000 B.C. to the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Her academic work aimed to empower and visualize Afro-American chronology as a way to contest the idea that Africans and African Americans had no history and...
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47. Terry Francois
1921-1989 (aged 68)
lawyer
Terry A. Francois was an African American attorney, civil rights activist, and politician. He served as the San Francisco chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and became the first African American to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
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48. Juan Logan
1946-. (aged 80)
artist
university teacher
Juan Logan is an American artist from Nashville, Tennessee. His paintings, sculptures, and installations are reflective of his experiences of racial and institutional power structures in the South and prompt viewers to consider social responsibility.
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49. Evelyn G. Lowery
1925-2013 (aged 88)
activist
Evelyn Gibson Lowery was an American civil rights activist and leader.
50. Joseph C. Carter
1956-. (aged 70)
military officer
Joseph C. Carter is a retired Brigadier General who was The Adjutant General (TAG) of the Massachusetts National Guard from 2007 - 2012. He is the former chief of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police. He currently lives in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts with his wife Rae, an Oak Bluffs School teacher, and his daughter Emily.
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51. Adrienne McNeil Herndon
1869-1910 (aged 41)
teacher
stage actor
Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil Herndon was an actress, professor, and activist in Atlanta, Georgia. While admittedly an African American to friends and colleagues, she performed with the stage name Anne Du Bignon. She was one of the first African American faculty at Atlanta University, where she was a peer of W. E. B. Du Bois. She was married to prominent businessman...
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52. Alexander Jefferson
1921-2022 (aged 101)
aircraft pilot
military personnel
Alexander Jefferson was an American Air Force officer, famous as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
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53. Leslie B. McLemore
1940-. (aged 86)
politician
Leslie-Burl McLemore is an American civil rights activist and political leader from Walls, Mississippi. He served as interim mayor of Jackson following the death of Frank Melton on May 7, 2009 until the inauguration of re-elected mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. on July 3, 2009.
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54. Marcia Jones
1972-. (aged 54)
artist
professor
Marcia Jones is an American professor and contemporary artist, known for her multimedia and large-scale installation works.
55. Edward A. Johnson
1860-1944 (aged 84)
lawyer
politician
Edward Austin Johnson was an attorney who became the first African-American member of the New York state legislature when he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1917.
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56. John Mack
1937-2018 (aged 81)
activist
John Mack was an American oboist.
57. Walter White
1893-1955 (aged 62)
human rights defender
novelist
journalist
essayist
Walter White was an American educator and politician from the state of Tennessee. White served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 10th floterial district non-consecutively from 1909 to 1949, and in the Tennessee Senate from 1911 to 1913, as a member of the Republican Party. He also served as the superintendent of county schools in Rhea County, Tennessee,...
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58. James Weldon Johnson
1871-1938 (aged 67)
composer
diplomat
songwriter
writer
jurist
James Weldon Johnson was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920, he was chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He served in...
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59. Hank Johnson
1954-. (aged 72)
lawyer
politician
Henry Calvin Johnson Jr. is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 4th congressional district since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is anchored in Atlanta's inner eastern suburbs, including the majority of DeKalb County—which encompasses Decatur, Lithonia, Stone Mountain, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, and Doraville—as well as parts of Gwinnett County,...
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60. Alexander B Cummings Jr
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
Alexander Benedict Cummings Jr. is a Liberian politician, businessman and philanthropist. He is the Standard Bearer of Liberia's Alternative National Congress.
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61. Mamie Locke
1954-. (aged 72)
university teacher
politician
Mamie Evelyn Locke is an American politician and educator. A Democrat, she was a member of the Hampton, Virginia city council 1996–2004, and mayor 2000–2004. Since 2004, she has been a member of the Senate of Virginia from the 2nd district. She currently represents parts of the cities of Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth, plus part of York County. She...
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