8 Notable alumni of Northwest Nazarene University
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Northwest Nazarene University is ranked #3,964 in the world and #1,034 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 8 notable alumni from Northwest Nazarene 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 Northwest Nazarene University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Jason Grenn
1981-. (aged 45)
politician
Jason S. Grenn is an American politician from Alaska. Grenn served as an independent member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 22nd district, which covers the Sand Lake-area neighborhoods in Anchorage, Alaska. He beat incumbent Liz Vazquez in the 2016 general election and was defeated by Sara Rasmussen in 2018.
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2. Kent R. Hill
3686-5897 (aged 2211)
Kent Richmond Hill is an American academic administrator. He is Senior Fellow for Eurasia, Middle East, and Islam at the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington, D.C..
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3. Lori Easley
1967-. (aged 59)
teacher
beauty pageant contestant
Lori Otter is an American educator, author, and former beauty queen who served as first lady of Idaho from 2007 to 2019 as the wife of Governor Butch Otter. She was crowned Miss Idaho USA in 1991.
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4. Jim Bunn
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
James Lee Bunn is an American politician from Oregon. A native of Yamhill County, he served in the Oregon State Senate before election to the United States House of Representatives, where he served for one term before losing re-election. A Republican, he now works as a correctional officer for the county.
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5. Mike Terpstra
1961-. (aged 65)
basketball coach
basketball player
Mike Terpstra, is an American basketball coach. He has previously served various positions with junior college, high school, and NBA Development League. He is the CEO of University Recruiting Group, an organization that assistants athletes and coaches through the recruiting process. He helped the Colorado 14ers win the Western Division championship before losing to the Dakota Wizards in the championship...
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6. Randy L. Maddox
1953-. (aged 73)
theologian
Randy L. Maddox is an American theologian and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. He served until 2020 as the William Kellon Quick Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies at Duke University. Maddox also serves as the General Editor of the Wesley Works Project, a major scholarly project responsible for producing the first comprehensive and critical edition of the...
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7. Thomas Jay Oord
1965-. (aged 61)
philosopher
theologian
Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and multidisciplinary scholar who directs doctoral programs in Open and Relational Theology at Northwind Theological Seminary and directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He formerly taught for sixteen years as a tenured professor at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, and as a philosophy professor at Eastern Nazarene College Quincy, Mass....
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8. Shemia Fagan
1981-. (aged 45)
teacher
lawyer
politician
Shemia Patricia Fagan is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Oregon secretary of state from 2021 to 2023. She previously served as a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing Senate District 24 from in 2019 to 2021. She also represented House District 51 from 2013 to 2017. In 2020, Fagan was elected as Oregon Secretary of...
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