28 Notable alumni of Northeastern State University
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Northeastern State University is ranked #3,397 in the world and #886 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 28 notable alumni from Northeastern State 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 Northeastern State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Sandy Fife Wilson
1950-. (aged 76)
fashion designer
teacher
artist
Sandy Fife Wilson is a Muscogee (Creek) art educator, fashion designer and artist. After graduating from the Institute of American Indian Arts and Northeastern Oklahoma State University, she became an art teacher, first working in the public schools of Dewey, Oklahoma. When Josephine Wapp retired as the textile instructor at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Wilson was hired to...
+ show more
2. Barbara Staggs
1940-2014 (aged 74)
politician
Barbara Masterson Staggs was a longtime educator in Muskogee, Oklahoma and a legislator in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. During her time in the legislature, Staggs assisted as a member of the Common Education Committee and was integral in passing many bills, such as one that lead to the creation of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee.
+ show more
3. Jim Barker
1935-2005 (aged 70)
politician
Jim L. Barker was an Oklahoma politician. During his tenure he was the only state representative to be elected four times as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
+ show more
4. Bill Brown
1855-1941 (aged 86)
Bill Brown is a Republican politician from Oklahoma who was a member of the Oklahoma Senate. A native of Henryetta, Oklahoma, he lives in Broken Arrow and represented District 36. He cannot run for reelection in 2018 because of state term limits law.
+ show more
5. Jane Osti
1945-. (aged 81)
artist
potter
Jane Osti is a native Cherokee artist. She specializes in traditional Cherokee pottery with unique embellishments and designs. In 2005, Osti was one of the youngest Cherokee artists to be appointed as a Living Treasure by Cherokee Nation. Currently, Osti teaches and creates her own pottery in her studio in downtown Tahlequah.
+ show more
6. Joe A. Rector
1935-2012 (aged 77)
painter
Joe A. Rector was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He is a part of the Cherokee ancestry. He lived in Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma for most of his life, until his retirement. Afterwards, he moved to Destin, Florida, to live near his children until the time of his death in 2012.
+ show more
7. John Sullivan
1965-. (aged 61)
real-estate agent
politician
John Alfred Sullivan is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district (based in the Tulsa area) from 2002 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party.
+ show more
8. William Grady Stigler
1891-1952 (aged 61)
city attorney
lawyer
politician
William Grady Stigler was an American lawyer, World War I veteran, and politician who served four terms as and a U.S. representative from Oklahoma from 1944 to 1952.
+ show more
9. Ted Risenhoover
1934-2006 (aged 72)
politician
Theodore Marshall Risenhoover was a community newspaper publisher and American politician representing northeastern Oklahoma in the United States House of Representatives for two terms during 1975–1979.
+ show more
10. Glenn Coffee
1967-. (aged 59)
lawyer
politician
Virgil Glenn Coffee is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Coffee was the 30th Oklahoma Secretary of State, having been appointed by Governor Mary Fallin. He served from January 10, 2011, until he resigned effective February 1, 2013. He was the first Republican President Pro Tempore, having previously served as a Co-President Pro Tempore...
+ show more
11. Steve Crawford
1958-. (aged 68)
baseball player
Steven Ray Crawford is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for two teams from 1980 through 1991. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm), 225 pounds (102 kg) he batted and threw right-handed. Crawford started his professional career with Winston-Salem in the Class-A Carolina League. He pitched in 19 games, started 14, and sported a 9–5...
+ show more
12. Ardina Moore
1930-2022 (aged 92)
fashion designer
Ardina Moore was a Quapaw/Osage Native American from Miami, Oklahoma. A Quapaw language speaker, she taught the language to some tribal members.
13. Shawntel Smith
1971-. (aged 55)
model
beauty pageant contestant
Shawntel Smith Wuerch is an American beauty pageant contestant, who was Miss America in 1996. She was born in Muldrow, Oklahoma. She attended Oklahoma City University.
+ show more
14. Mary Golda Ross
1908-2008 (aged 100)
mathematician
military flight engineer
Mary Golda Ross was a Cherokee and American aerospace engineer. She worked at the Lockheed Corporation from 1942 until her retirement in 1973, where she was best remembered for her work on aerospace design. She was one of the 40 founding engineers of the renowned and highly secretive Skunk Works project while at Lockheed Corporation. Throughout her life, Ross was...
+ show more
15. Chuck Hoskin
1952-. (aged 74)
politician
Chuck Hoskin Sr. is a Cherokee and American politician and former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 6th district, which includes parts of Craig, Mayes, and Rogers counties. He served as a whip for the Democratic caucus. After leaving the House he served for four years as the Mayor of Vinita, Oklahoma. He is a citizen of...
+ show more
16. Lisa Johnson Billy
1967-. (aged 59)
politician
Lisa Johnson Billy is a Chickasaw and American politician who has served in the legislatures of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation. She has served as a tribal councillor for the Chickasaw Nation since 2016 and previously served on the council between 1996 and 2002. She represented Oklahoma House of Representatives district 42 from 2004 to 2016 and was appointed by...
+ show more
17. Drew Edmondson
1946-. (aged 80)
lawyer
William Andrew Edmondson is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011. Prior to his election as state attorney general, he served as district attorney for Muskogee County, Oklahoma, from 1983 to 1992. He was defeated twice in campaigns...
+ show more
18. Kimberly Teehee
1966-. (aged 60)
politician
Kimberly Teehee is a Cherokee politician, and activist on Native American issues. She is a Delegate-designate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Cherokee Nation. She served as senior policy advisor for Native American affairs in the administration of President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2012. In February 2020, she was named by Time as one of 16 activists...
+ show more
19. Grace Thorpe
1921-2008 (aged 87)
paralegal
environmentalist
Grace Frances Thorpe was an American environmentalist and Native rights activist. She served with the Women's Army Corps and received a Bronze Star Medal for her service as a Corporal in the New Guinea campaign. She attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the Antioch School of Law, and went on to become a tribal district court judge. In...
+ show more
20. Carrie Underwood
1983-. (aged 43)
film actor
pianist
television actor
actor
singer
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer and songwriter. Known for her vocal ability and dynamic stage presence, Underwood is recognized as a pivotal figure in modern country music and often cited for her role in revitalizing and sustaining the presence of female country artists in popular music since winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005.
+ show more
21. Bill Bright
1921-2003 (aged 82)
writer
theologian
William R. Bright was an American evangelist. In 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles, he founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students. In 1952 he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws. In 1979 he produced the film Jesus.
+ show more
22. Bill John Baker
1952-. (aged 74)
politician
Bill John Baker is a Cherokee politician who served as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. First elected in October 2011, Baker defeated three-term incumbent Chief Chad "Corntassel" Smith. Prior to his election as Chief, Baker served 12 years on the Cherokee Tribal Council. In 1999, Baker unsuccessfully ran for Deputy Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
+ show more
23. Joan Hill
1930-2020 (aged 90)
painter
Joan Hill, also known as Che-se-quah, was a Muscogee Creek artist of Cherokee ancestry. She was one of the most awarded Native American women artists in the 20th century.
+ show more
24. Ruthe Blalock Jones
1939-. (aged 87)
teacher
painter
Ruthe Blalock Jones is a Delaware-Shawnee-Peoria painter and printmaker from Oklahoma.
25. James R. Floyd
businessperson
James R. Floyd was the chief executive of the Muscogee Nation located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Floyd won 2,964 votes constituting 62% of the votes in the 2015 general elections, which took place on November 2, 2015, to beat incumbent Chief George Tiger. On January 2, 2016, Floyd was sworn in as Muscogee (Creek) Nation principal chief by MCN Supreme Court...
+ show more
26. Ron Tarver
1957-. (aged 69)
photojournalist
university teacher
journalist
visual artist
photographer
Ronald Tarver (born 1957) is an American artist and educator. He was the first Black photographer at the Muskogee Phoenix and also worked at the Springfield News-Leader in Missouri (1980–1983), before joining The Philadelphia Inquirer. His career at the Inquirer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, spans more than three decades (1983–2014). Tarver currently serves as Associate Professor of Art specializing in photography...
+ show more
27. Elizabeth Ann Nalley
1942-. (aged 84)
chemist
Elizabeth Ann Nalley is an American chemist and professor of chemistry at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.
28. Bob Davis
1956-. (aged 70)
businessperson
Robert Davis is an American former professional basketball small forward who played one season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers during the 1972–73 season. He attended Weber State University and was selected by the Blazers during the second round (14 pick overall) of the 1972 NBA draft.
+ show more