45 Notable alumni of Oakland University
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Oakland University is ranked #835 in the world and #230 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 45 notable alumni from Oakland 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 Oakland University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Tom Stanton
1960-. (aged 66)
journalist
sports journalist
Tom Stanton is the author of several nonfiction books, including two memoirs. In 1983, Stanton, a journalist, co-founded The Voice Newspapers in suburban Detroit and served as editor for sixteen years before embarking on a literary career in 1999. A former Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, Stanton teaches journalism at the University of Detroit Mercy. In 2008, Stanton...
+ show more
2. Will Hudson
1989-. (aged 37)
basketball player
William Robert Hudson is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Oakland University where he broke the school record with 137 games played and 345 offensive rebounds.
+ show more
3. Sherry L. Pagoto
researcher
academic
psychologist
university teacher
Sherry Pagoto is a professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut and director of the UConn Center for mHealth and Social Media. A behavioural scientist and licensed clinical psychologist, she is an expert in leveraging technology, especially social media, to promote health behavior change with extensive research on the topics of obesity management and...
+ show more
4. Leon Drolet
1967-. (aged 59)
politician
Leon Drolet is a Michigan Republican politician and Anti-tax activist elected Macomb County Commissioner. He is a political activist known for his conservative fiscal views, which have caused criticism from politicians from both sides, including Candace Miller, L. Brooks Patterson and Mark Hackel. From 2001 to 2006, Drolet served in the Michigan House of Representatives. Drolet also served as a...
+ show more
5. Rachael Morrison
1987-. (aged 39)
athletics competitor
Rachael Morrison is an American Paralympic athlete. She competes in the discus throw and club throw and holds world records in both events. She won the discus throw at the 2015 World Championships, 2015 Parapan American Games, and 2016 Paralympics.
+ show more
6. Michael W. Michalak
1946-. (aged 80)
diplomat
Michael Walter Michalak is the former career Foreign Service officer and United States Ambassador to Vietnam from 2007 to 2011. He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director for the US-ASEAN Business Council.
+ show more
7. Kevin Grazier
1961-. (aged 65)
university teacher
physicist
adviser
planetary scientist
science advisor
Kevin R. Grazier is an American planetary physicist, known for his work on the Cassini/Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan where he had the dual roles of Science Planning Engineer and Investigation Scientist for the Imaging Science Subsystem instrument. He is an expert in computational methods and planetary dynamics and performs large-scale, long-term simulations of early Solar System evolution, dynamics,...
+ show more
8. Johnathon Jones
1988-. (aged 38)
basketball player
Johnathon Christopher Jones is an American professional basketball player who last played for KK Igokea of the Bosnian League and Adriatic League. At the collegiate level, he played with Oakland. As a junior in 2008–09, he led the NCAA Division I in assists per game with an 8.06 average. Jones first played professionally with MBK Rieker Komárno of the Slovak...
+ show more
9. Rawle Marshall
1982-. (aged 44)
basketball player
Rawle Junior Kalomo Marshall is a Guyanese-American professional basketball player who last played for Shahrdari Gorgan of the Iranian Super League.
10. Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi
1984-. (aged 42)
radio personality
Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi is a Nigerian former broadcaster at The Beat 99.9 FM, entrepreneur and co-host of "Off-Air with Gbemi & Toolz" podcast. Gbemi is the granddaughter of late Olowo of Owo Sir Olateru-Olagbegi II KBE. In 2008, Gbemi won the on-air personality of the year at the Future Awards Africa. In 2015, Gbemi founded Gbemisoke shoes. A shoe line...
+ show more
11. Jonathan Mwangangi Mueke
1976-. (aged 50)
politician
Jonathan Mueke is a Kenyan politician and the current Principal Secretary for State Department for Livestock Development. He is also the former Deputy Governor of Nairobi County.
+ show more
12. Tupac A. Hunter
1973-. (aged 53)
politician
Túpac Amaru Hunter is an American politician who is a former member of the Michigan Senate, representing the 5th district which encompasses northwest Detroit, Dearborn Heights and Inkster. He served as the Minority Floor Leader.
+ show more
13. Nicole Wilkins
1984-. (aged 42)
bodybuilder
Nicole Wilkins, is an American professional figure and fitness competitor, fitness model, and fitness trainer. She is a four-time winner of the IFBB Figure Olympia Competition, and a three-time victor of the IFBB Figure International.
+ show more
14. Keith Faber
1966-. (aged 60)
politician
Keith Faber is an American lawyer and politician from Ohio. A Republican, he has been State Auditor of Ohio since 2019. He was formerly a member of the Ohio House of Representatives (2001–2007), elected from the 84th district, and then a member of the Ohio State Senate (2007–2016), elected from the 12th District. He was president of the Ohio Senate...
+ show more
15. Heng Sure
1949-. (aged 77)
Buddhist monk
Heng Sure is an American Chan Buddhist monk and a senior disciple of Venerable Hsuan Hua. He serves as the managing director of Berkeley Buddhist monastery, the president of the board of directors of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association and a member of the board of trustees at Dharma Realm Buddhist University. He has previously taught at the Graduate Theological Union,...
+ show more
16. Karen Newman
singer
Karen Newman is an American singer. She is best known for singing the U.S. national anthem at Detroit Red Wings home games, a role she has performed for more than 30 years.
+ show more
17. Ruth Johnson
1955-. (aged 71)
politician
Ruth Johnson is an American businesswoman and politician currently serving as a member of the Michigan Senate since 2019. She was the 42nd Secretary of State of Michigan from 2011 to 2019 and a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005. She is a Republican.
+ show more
18. Travis Bader
1991-. (aged 35)
basketball player
basketball coach
Richard Travis Bader is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
+ show more
19. Keith Benson
1988-. (aged 38)
basketball player
Keith Anderson Benson Jr. is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Oakland University. A 6-foot-11 center, Benson was a second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2011 NBA draft, selected by the Atlanta Hawks. He has since played in Italy, Philippines, Belarus, China, Lithuania, Estonia and the NBA Development League.
+ show more
20. Steve Clark
1986-. (aged 40)
association football player
Steven Thomas Clark is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper.
21. G. Mennen Williams
1911-1988 (aged 77)
politician
judge
lawyer
diplomat
military officer
Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Michigan, elected in 1948 and serving six two-year terms in office. He later served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson and as chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.
+ show more
22. Kelly Williams
1982-. (aged 44)
basketball player
Kelly Williams is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he also represented the Philippines in international competitions.
+ show more
23. Regina Carter
1966-. (aged 60)
violinist
jazz musician
Regina Carter is an American jazz violinist. She is the cousin of jazz saxophonist James Carter.
24. Michael Brosseau
1994-. (aged 32)
baseball player
Michael Dillon Brosseau is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He made his MLB debut in 2019.
+ show more
25. Hank Jones
1918-2010 (aged 92)
bandleader
pianist
university teacher
composer
music arranger
Henry Jones Jr. was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award. He was also honored in 2003 with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Jazz Living Legend Award. In...
+ show more
26. Barbara Oakley
1955-. (aged 71)
translator
author
professor
researcher
Barbara Ann Oakley is an American professor of engineering at Oakland University and McMaster University whose online courses on learning are some of the most popular massive open online course (MOOC) classes in the world. She is involved in multiple areas of research, ranging from STEM education, to learning practices.
+ show more
27. Brian Gregory
1966-. (aged 60)
basketball coach
basketball player
Brian Francis Gregory is an American basketball executive and former coach and player who is the general manager of the Phoenix Suns. He was vice president of player programming for the Phoenix Suns, and a former college basketball coach who was most recently the head men's basketball coach at South Florida. He was previously serving as a consultant to Tom...
+ show more
28. Renee Ellmers
1964-. (aged 62)
nurse
politician
administrator
Renee Louise Ellmers is an American registered nurse and politician who was the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district from 2011 to 2017. She is a member of the Republican Party. Ellmers defeated seven-term Democratic incumbent Bob Etheridge in 2010 by 1,489 votes, confirmed after a recount. In the 2016 Republican primary, Ellmers was defeated by fellow U.S....
+ show more
29. Jayne Houdyshell
1953-. (aged 73)
television actor
stage actor
actor
film actor
Jayne Houdyshell /ˈhaʊdiˌʃɛl/ is an American actress. Known for being a prolific character actor in theatre, film, and television, Houdyshell has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, two Obie Awards, and a Drama Desk Award.
+ show more
30. Gary Yourofsky
1970-. (aged 56)
animal rights advocate
Gary Yourofsky is an American animal rights activist, lecturer, and educator. He has had a major influence on contemporary veganism through his classroom lectures. The most notable speech Yourofsky gave, at Georgia Institute of Technology, is titled “The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear”, has received millions of views online, and is still shared in contemporary vegan activism.
+ show more
31. Curtis Armstrong
1953-. (aged 73)
actor
television actor
screenwriter
film actor
voice actor
Curtis Johnathan Armstrong is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds films, Herbert Viola on the TV series Moonlighting, Miles Dalby in the film Risky Business, and record producer Ahmet Ertegun in the film Ray as well as for playing the role of Metatron on the TV series...
+ show more
32. Kendrick Nunn
1995-. (aged 31)
basketball player
Kendrick Melvin Nunn is an American professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague.
33. Yūko Andō
1958-. (aged 68)
journalist
news presenter
Yūko Andō is a Japanese television presenter and news anchor. She has headed Fuji Television's Super News evening news programme alongside Tetsuo Suda since April 2000.
+ show more
34. Kay Felder
1995-. (aged 31)
basketball player
Kahlil Ameer "Kay" Felder Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Serie A2. Felder, a 5-foot-9-inch (1.75 m) point guard, declared for the 2016 NBA draft at the conclusion of his junior year at Oakland, and was drafted in the second round. Felder is the Horizon League career assists leader.
+ show more
35. Robert Englund
1947-. (aged 79)
actor
television actor
writer
film actor
voice actor
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor and director. Englund is best known for playing the villain Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Englund has received multiple accolades and honors, including a Saturn Award, a Fangoria Chainsaw Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
+ show more
36. David Hasselhoff
1952-. (aged 74)
businessperson
film actor
television producer
voice actor
stage actor
David Michael Hasselhoff, nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on the soap opera The Young and the Restless (1975–1982), playing the role of Dr. Snapper Foster. His career continued with his leading role as Michael Knight on...
+ show more
37. John Beardman
1937-. (aged 89)
painter
John Beardman is a contemporary American artist. He is an abstract expressionist and a major contributor to “art as process” and "action painting" influenced by Willem de Kooning. His work has been the subject of several exhibitions in New York City, Louisville, Kentucky, Birmingham, Michigan, and Nova Scotia, Canada. Beardman has received numerous creative artist's grants and fellowships. He currently...
+ show more
38. Charles Steele, Jr
1946-. (aged 80)
politician
Charles Steele Jr. is an American businessman, politician and civil rights leader. He was the first African American elected to the City Council of Tuscaloosa and one of the first African Americans elected to the Alabama State Senate. From 2004 to 2009, he was the National President and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, co-founded by Martin Luther King...
+ show more
39. Elizabeth Reaser
1975-. (aged 51)
television actor
stage actor
actor
film actor
Elizabeth Ann Reaser is an American film, television, and stage actress. Her work includes the films Stay, The Family Stone, Sweet Land, Against the Current, The Twilight Saga, Young Adult, and Ouija: Origin of Evil, and the TV series Saved, Grey's Anatomy, The Ex-List, The Good Wife, True Detective, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Haunting of Hill House.
+ show more
40. Doris Eaton Travis
1904-2010 (aged 106)
dancer
film actor
model
stage actor
singer
Doris Eaton Travis was an American dancer, stage and film actress, dance instructor, owner and manager, writer, and rancher, who was the last surviving Ziegfeld Girl, a troupe of acclaimed chorus girls who performed as members in the Broadway theatrical revues of the Ziegfeld Follies.
+ show more
41. Carl Levin
1934-2021 (aged 87)
lawyer
politician
Carl Milton Levin was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Michigan from 1979 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2015.
+ show more
42. Gordon R. England
1937-. (aged 89)
engineer
businessperson
politician
Gordon Richard England is an American politician and businessman who was the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and twice served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush.
+ show more
43. Jasna Fazlić
1970-. (aged 56)
table tennis player
Jasna Rather is an American former table tennis player who played for Yugoslavia and then for the United States, competing on four Olympics: in Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics, Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics, Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, and Athens 2004 Summer Olympics respectively.
+ show more
44. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
1931-2015 (aged 84)
politician
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007.
45. N. R. Narayana Murthy
1946-. (aged 80)
entrepreneur
businessperson
Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the founder of Infosys, and was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief mentor of the company before retiring and becoming chairman emeritus. As of January 2025, his net worth was estimated at US$5.0 billion, according to Forbes.
+ show more