52 Notable alumni of Simmons University
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Simmons University is ranked #1,522 in the world and #371 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 52 notable alumni from Simmons 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 Simmons University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Susan Nutter
1944-2019 (aged 75)
librarian
Susan Keene Nutter was the vice provost and director of the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries where she worked for thirty years. While she was director, in 2000, NCSU Libraries received the first Association of college and Research Libraries Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. She was instrumental in the planning, development, and construction of NCSU's Hunt Library. Called her...
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2. Ethelwyn Manning
1885-1972 (aged 87)
librarian
Ethelwyn Manning was the second Chief Librarian of the Frick Art Reference Library. During World War II, she assisted the Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) on Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas, later known as the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA).
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3. Deborah Blumer
1941-2006 (aged 65)
politician
Deborah D. Blumer was a Democratic member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from Framingham. She served in the House from 2001 until her death.
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4. James M. Matarazzo
1941-2018 (aged 77)
librarian
professor
dean
James M. Matarazzo was an American academic and librarian who taught at Simmons University for almost 50 years. He was a national and global leader in the field of special libraries.
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5. Robert Gibbons
1946-. (aged 80)
poet
Robert Gibbons is an American poet, prose writer, and editor.
6. Ann Wolpert
1943-2013 (aged 70)
librarian
Ann Josephine Wolpert was an American librarian who was a pioneer in digital libraries. As director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries from 1996 to 2013, she was instrumental in a variety of projects, including leading an initiative between MIT and Hewlett Packard to develop the DSpace digital repository system, and supporting MIT OpenCourseWare, one of the earliest large-scale...
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7. Thomas J. Galvin
1933-2004 (aged 71)
librarian
Thomas J. Galvin was an American librarian and academic. Galvin held a bachelor's degree in English from Columbia University and a master's in library science from Simmons College as well as a doctorate from Case Western Reserve University. From 1962 to 1972, he held a series of combined faculty and leadership positions at the graduate school of library and information...
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8. Arthur Curley
1938-1998 (aged 60)
librarian
Arthur Curley was an American librarian who was listed as one of the 100 most important library leaders of the 20th century by journal American Libraries.
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9. Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty
administrator
librarian
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty is an American librarian and cultural heritage administrator. An archives and special collections expert, Evangelestia-Dougherty was the executive director of the Chicago-based Black Metropolis Research Consortium from 2011 to 2013 and the director of collections and services at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from 2013 to 2015. From 2021 to 2024, she was the first...
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10. Frances Keegan Marquis
1896-1984 (aged 88)
Frances Keegan Marquis was an American women's army captain, World War II veteran, and feminist activist. In 1943, she became the first commander of a women's expeditionary force, the 149th WAAC Post Headquarters Company, which served in General Eisenhower's North African headquarters. Before her military service, she held management posts in women's organizations; afterwards, she did volunteer work for women's...
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11. Laura Mary Bragg
1881-1978 (aged 97)
librarian
botanical collector
exhibition curator
Laura Mary Bragg was an American museum director who became the first woman to run a publicly funded art museum in America when she was named the director of the Charleston Museum in 1920. She later directed the Berkshire Museum in Massachusetts and advised on the reorganization of the Valentine Museum in Virginia. She is also known for developing a...
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12. Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee
1898-1980 (aged 82)
physician
obstetrician
gynecologist
Dorothy Celeste Ferebee was an American obstetrician and civil rights activist.
13. Winston Tabb
library scientist
librarian
Winston Tabb was the Sheridan Dean of University Libraries and Museums at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland from September 2002 to January 2023.
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14. Vivian G. Harsh
1890-1960 (aged 70)
librarian
Vivian Gordon Harsh was an American librarian. Harsh is noted as the Chicago Public Library (CPL) system's first African American librarian, being assigned to the position on February 26, 1924. Harsh served as a librarian for 34 years until retiring in 1958. During her career, she began an extensive archive on African American history and culture, which is now known...
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15. Ruth Edmonds Hill
voice actor
Ruth Edmonds Hill was an American scholar, oral historian, oral storytelling editor, journal editor, educator, and historic preservation advocate. Her oral history office is part of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. She is an iconic figure among oral storytellers, particularly in the United States but also abroad, and has advised storytellers' organizations. Her spouse is Dr....
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16. Beatrice Corliss
1910-1995 (aged 85)
politician
Beatrice Keene Corliss (October 21, 1910 – January 12, 1995) was an American politician who served as the first female Mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
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17. Sara Stern-Katan
1919-2001 (aged 82)
social worker
politician
Sara Stern-Katan was an Israeli social worker and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party between 1977 and 1981.
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18. Dorothy Walcott Weeks
1893-1990 (aged 97)
university teacher
mathematician
physicist
Dorothy Walcott Weeks was an American mathematician and physicist. Weeks was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She earned degrees from Wellesley College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Simmons College. Weeks was the first woman to receive a PhD in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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19. Margaret Curtis
1883-1965 (aged 82)
golfer
tennis player
social worker
Margaret Curtis was an American golf and tennis champion and lifelong social worker.
20. Mary Elizabeth Wood
1861-1931 (aged 70)
librarian
Mary Elizabeth Wood was an American librarian and missionary, best known for her work in promoting Western librarianship practices and programs in China. She is credited with the foundation of the first library school in China, the Boone Library School, as well as spurring the development of Chinese librarianship as a modern profession.
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21. Madeleine M. Joullié
1927-. (aged 99)
chemist
Madeleine M. Joullié is an American-Brazilian organic chemist. She was the first woman to join the University of Pennsylvania chemistry faculty as well as the first female organic chemist to be appointed to a tenure track position in a major American university. She was one of the first affirmative action officers at the University of Pennsylvania. She has a distinguished...
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22. Alice Wolf
1933-2023 (aged 90)
politician
Alice K. Wolf was an Austrian-born American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1996 to 2013, representing the 25th Middlesex District.
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23. Harriette L. Chandler
1937-. (aged 89)
politician
Harriette L. Chandler is an American politician who was the 94th President of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts State Senator for the 1st Worcester district, which includes parts of the city of Worcester, where she resides, and the towns of Boylston, Holden, Princeton, and West Boylston, and parts of Clinton and Northborough. She is a Democrat who has served...
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24. Gail Levin
1948-. (aged 78)
historian
exhibition curator
art historian
art theorist
artist
Gail Levin is an American art historian, biographer, artist, and a Distinguished Professor of Art History, American Studies, Women's Studies, and Liberal Studies at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is a specialist in the work of Edward Hopper, feminist art, abstract expressionism, Eastern European Jewish influences on modernist art and American...
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25. Paul Sullivan
1957-2007 (aged 50)
presenter
radio personality
journalist
Paul Harold "Sully" Sullivan was an accomplished radio talk-show host of "The Paul Sullivan Show" on WBZ radio. He was best known for his blue-collar politics and plebeian attitude.
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26. Ruth Winifred Howard
1900-1997 (aged 97)
social worker
psychologist
Ruth Winifred Howard was an American psychologist. She is best known for her psychological work concerning students with special needs at Children's Provident Hospital School. She is the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology. Howard was an active participant in the American Psychological Association, the International Council of Women Psychologists, the American Association of University Women,...
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27. Katie Moussouris
writer
entrepreneur
security researcher
Katie Moussouris is an American computer security researcher, entrepreneur, and pioneer in vulnerability disclosure, and is best known for her ongoing work advocating responsible security research. Previously a member of @stake, she created the bug bounty program at Microsoft and was directly involved in creating the U.S. Department of Defense's first bug bounty program for hackers. She previously served as...
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28. Adela Raz
1986-. (aged 40)
diplomat
civil servant
politician
Adela Raz is an Afghan politician who was the last ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States from July 2021 to February 2022. She was also the first woman to serve as Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations.
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29. Jane Hinton
1919-2003 (aged 84)
veterinarian
scientist
Jane Hinton was a pioneer in the study of bacterial antibiotic resistance and one of the first two African-American women to gain the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (1949). Prior to her veterinary medicine studies at the University of Pennsylvania, she had been a laboratory technician at Harvard, codeveloping Mueller–Hinton agar, a culture medium that is now commonly used...
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30. Mary Jo Foley
1961-. (aged 65)
magazine writer
podcaster
journalist
non-fiction writer
Mary Jo Foley is an American freelance technology writer, author, podcaster and news editor. She regularly writes news, previews, and reviews for Microsoft's strategy, products and technology. Foley has been covering news on Microsoft Windows, and previously on Unix-related technology, since 1983, for publications including ZDNet, eWeek, Baseline, Redmond magazine, PC Magazine, and Directions on Microsoft.
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31. Mark Pendergrast
1948-. (aged 78)
librarian
writer
journalist
Mark Pendergrast is an American independent scholar and author of fourteen books, including three children's books. His books are mainly non-fiction and cover a wide range of topics, most notably repressed memories. He is a volunteer with the National Center for Reason and Justice, a non-profit organization that advocates for people who are falsely accused or convicted of crimes.
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32. Elinor Lipman
1950-. (aged 76)
novelist
Elinor Lipman is an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist.
33. Rehema Ellis
1954-. (aged 72)
journalist
Rehema Ellis is an American television journalist, who worked for NBC News from 1994 through 2025. A correspondent who was based in New York City, she was also the lead education correspondent for NBC News. On December 11, 2025, NBC News broadcast a tribute to Ellis as she was leaving her job.
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34. Mackenzi Lee
writer
Mackenzi Lee is an American author of books for children and young adults. She writes both fiction and non-fiction about topics including sexuality and the role of women throughout history.
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35. Nancy Ip
1955-. (aged 71)
biologist
justice of the peace
neuroscientist
politician
Nancy Chu Ip Yuk-yu is a Hong Kong neuroscientist. She is serving as the 5th President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) since 19 October 2022. She had served as the Vice-President of Research and Development, the Morningside Professor of Life Science, and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at the HKUST. Since...
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36. Nnenna Freelon
1954-. (aged 72)
singer
actor
jazz musician
Nnenna Freelon Listen is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger.
37. Lenore Blum
1942-. (aged 84)
computer scientist
mathematician
university teacher
Lenore Carol Blum is an American computer scientist and mathematician who has made contributions to the theories of real number computation, cryptography, and pseudorandom number generation. She was a distinguished career professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University until 2019 and is currently a professor in residence at the University of California, Berkeley. She is also known for her...
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38. David Ferriero
1945-. (aged 81)
archivist
librarian
David Sean Ferriero is an American librarian and library administrator, who served as the tenth Archivist of the United States. He previously served as the director of the New York Public Library and as the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University. Prior to his Duke position, he worked for 31 years at the Massachusetts Institute...
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39. Suzyn Waldman
1946-. (aged 80)
color commentator
sports commentator
Suzyn Waldman is an American sportscaster and former musical theater actress. Since the 2005 season, she has been the color commentator for New York Yankees baseball, working with John Sterling, Justin Shackil and Dave Sims on radio broadcasts, first for WCBS-AM and currently for WFAN in New York City.
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40. Kristin Cashore
1976-. (aged 50)
children's writer
novelist
writer
Kristin Cashore is an American young adult and fantasy writer, best known for the Graceling Realm series.
41. Hal Clement
1922-2003 (aged 81)
science fiction writer
writer
astronomer
novelist
teacher
Harry Clement Stubbs, better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre. He also painted astronomically oriented artworks under the name George Richard.
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42. Daniel Handler
1970-. (aged 56)
accordionist
musician
children's writer
novelist
songwriter
Daniel Handler is an American author, musician, screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is best known for his children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events and All the Wrong Questions, published under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The former was adapted into a film in 2004, as well as a Netflix series from 2017 to 2019.
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43. Gwen Ifill
1955-2016 (aged 61)
news presenter
writer
journalist
Gwendolyn L. Ifill was an American journalist, television newscaster, and author. In 1999, she became the first African-American woman to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program with Washington Week in Review. She was the moderator and managing editor of Washington Week and co-anchor and co-managing editor, with Judy Woodruff, of the PBS NewsHour, both of which air on...
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44. Tipper Gore
1948-. (aged 78)
writer
psychologist
photographer
politician
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore is an American social issues advocate. She was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 through her marriage to the 45th vice president, Al Gore in 1970, from whom she separated in 2010.
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45. Gregory Maguire
1954-. (aged 72)
children's writer
novelist
writer
Gregory Maguire is an American novelist. He is the author of Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many of Maguire's adult novels are inspired by classic children's stories. Maguire published his first novel, The Lightning Time, in 1978. Wicked, published in 1995, was his first novel for adults. It was adapted...
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46. Douglas W. Petersen
1948-2014 (aged 66)
politician
Douglas W. Petersen was an American politician who served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources from 2007 to 2009 and represented the 8th Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007. In 2007, Petersen upset residents of Lynn, Massachusetts after he stated at a Swampscott School Committee meeting that Swampscott children would "be...
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47. Courtney Young
librarian
Courtney Young is an American librarian and scholar, who served as the president of the American Library Association for the 2014–2015 year. On June 30, 2015, her term as ALA President ended, and she passed the title on to Sari Feldman.
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48. Kathy Brodsky
1945-. (aged 81)
writer
children's writer
Kathy Brodsky is an American author and poet. She has written seventeen books, sixteen of which are children's books, and one that is a collection of 65 poems reflecting her observations and insights about life. She was the writer-in-residence at the Pierce School in Bennington, New Hampshire, and at the Harold Martin School in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
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49. Allyson Schwartz
1948-. (aged 78)
social worker
politician
Allyson Schwartz is an American Democratic Party politician who represented parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2015 and Northeast and Northwest Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania Senate from 1991 to 2005. She has finished second in a statewide Democratic Party primary twice: for United States Senate in 2000 and for...
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50. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
1938-. (aged 88)
historian
historian of Modern Age
university teacher
writer
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian specializing in early America and the history of women, and a professor at Harvard University. Her approach to history has been described as a tribute to "the silent work of ordinary people". Ulrich was a recipient of a grant from the MacArthur Fellows Program in 1992. Her most famous book, A...
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51. Christine Darden
1942-. (aged 84)
mathematician
military flight engineer
Christine Darden is an American aeronautical engineer who devoted much of her 40-year career in aerodynamics at NASA to research supersonic flight and sonic booms. She was the first African-American woman at NASA's Langley Research Center to be promoted to the Senior Executive Service, the top rank in the federal civil service.
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52. Nathalie Handal
1969-. (aged 57)
playwright
poet
non-fiction writer
Nathalie Handal is a poet, writer and professor at New York University. She has published 10 books, including Life in a Country Album.