25 Notable alumni of SUNY Buffalo State
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
SUNY Buffalo State is ranked #3,001 in the world and #781 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 25 notable alumni from SUNY Buffalo State sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with SUNY Buffalo State won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Matt Chandler
1972-. (aged 54)
writer
Matt Chandler is an American author of more than 85 books for young children, including Side-by-Side Baseball Stars: Comparing the Game's Greatest Players, which was selected by the American Society of Journalists and Authors as its 2015 Children's/Young Adult Book of the Year.
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2. Carl Zimmermann
1951-. (aged 75)
educator
politician
Carl Zimmermann is an American Democratic politician and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 65th district for a single term, 2012–2014.
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3. David E. Aldrich
1963-. (aged 63)
blogger
cinematographer
film director
David E. Aldrich, is an American producer, director, cinematographer, editor, and information technology professional. He is best known for his involvement in the development and promotion of new media technology, and for his work in new media production.
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4. Julia Ditto Young
1857-1915 (aged 58)
novelist
poet
writer
Julia Ditto Young was an American poet and novelist. Her first literary effort was dated to her childhood days, her first appearance in print being in local newspapers. The first money earned by her writing was in the amount of US$10 from Peterson's Magazine. She continued to write for Peterson's, and for several years wrote for Frank Leslie's publications. Young...
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5. Catherine Pelonero
1967-. (aged 59)
writer
Catherine Pelonero is a New York Times bestselling true crime author, best known for her 2014 book Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and Its Private Consequences.
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6. Gene Cretz
1950-. (aged 76)
diplomat
Gene Allan Cretz is a career diplomat who retired from the Senior Foreign Service in 2015. Before retiring, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana.
7. David Franczyk
politician
David A. "Dave" Franczyk is a councilmember of the Buffalo Common Council, which is the representative legislative branch of the government of Buffalo, New York. He is also a former Liberal Party and Democratic Party nominee for the United States House of Representatives.
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8. Patrick B. Burke
1984-. (aged 42)
politician
Patrick B. Burke is an American politician who serves in the New York State Assembly from the 142nd district, which represents South Buffalo, the City of Lackawanna, and the towns of West Seneca and Orchard Park. Burke is a South Buffalo native.
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9. Rodneyse Bichotte
1972-. (aged 54)
politician
Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn is an American politician who serves as the Assembly Member for the 42nd District of the New York State Assembly. She is a Democrat. The district includes portions of East Flatbush, Flatbush, Ditmas Park, and Midwood, in Brooklyn.
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10. Susan Bies
1947-. (aged 79)
banker
Susan Schmidt Bies is an American economist and corporate executive who served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 2001 to 2007.
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11. Sam Hoyt
1962-. (aged 64)
politician
William Ballard "Sam" Hoyt III is an American politician from New York. A Democrat, Hoyt is an economic development professional and was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1992 to 2011. He represented the 144th Assembly district, consisting of part of Buffalo, New York, and all of Grand Island, New York, from 1992 to 2011. Hoyt was...
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12. Bobby Gonzalez
1963-. (aged 63)
basketball coach
Robert P. Gonzalez is a basketball head coach. Gonzalez was previously scout for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association, head coach at Manhattan College and Seton Hall University. He is well known for leading the Jaspers to two NCAA tournaments and the second NCAA tournament win in school history.
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13. Crystal Peoples
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
Crystal Davis Peoples-Stokes is an American politician representing Assembly District 141, which includes the city of Buffalo within Erie County, New York. She is currently the majority leader of the New York State Assembly.
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14. Evelyn S. Lieberman
1944-2015 (aged 71)
politician
Evelyn May Lieberman was an American public affairs professional who, during the Clinton administration, became the first woman to serve as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, and was the first United States Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
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15. Diane English
1948-. (aged 78)
television producer
screenwriter
film director
Diane English is an American screenwriter, producer and director. She is best known for creating the television show Murphy Brown which won multiple awards, including 18 Primetime Emmy Awards from 62 nominations. She also wrote and directed the 2008 feature film The Women. She has won numerous awards, including 3 Emmy Awards, and received numerous nominations.
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16. Raven Baxter
molecular biologist
educator
science communicator
Raven Baxter is an American science communicator and STEM educator. Baxter began posting science education videos on social media under the username Raven the Science Maven in 2017.
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17. Brian Higgins
1959-. (aged 67)
lecturer
politician
Brian Michael Higgins is an American former politician who was the U.S. representative for New York's 26th congressional district, from 2005 until 2024. The district, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 and as the 26th from 2013 to 2024, included Buffalo and Niagara Falls, along with some surrounding urban and suburban areas. Higgins is a member of...
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18. Keith Rothfus
1962-. (aged 64)
lawyer
politician
Keith James Rothfus /ˈrɒθfəs/ is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He succeeded Democratic Representative Mark Critz, whom he defeated in the 2012 election. Prior to serving in Congress, he worked as an attorney. After new congressional district maps were released by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court...
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19. Byron Brown
1958-. (aged 68)
politician
Byron William Brown II is an American politician who served as the 62nd mayor of Buffalo, New York from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. He was the city's first African-American mayor and the longest-serving mayor. He previously served as a member of the New York State Senate and the Buffalo Common Council.
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20. Beverly Eckert
1951-2009 (aged 58)
activist
Beverly Eckert was an American activist and advocate for the creation of the 9/11 Commission. She was one of the members of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Commission. Eckert's husband, Sean Rooney, died at age 50 in the attacks of September 11, 2001. She pushed for a commission to investigate 9/11 and to establish a memorial.
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21. Ani DiFranco
1970-. (aged 56)
film director
writer
street artist
composer
record producer
Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influences from punk, funk, hip hop and jazz. She has released all her albums on her own record label, Righteous Babe.
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22. Daniel Garcia
1998-. (aged 28)
professional wrestler
Daniel Garcia is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW TNT Champion. He also makes appearances in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH Pure Champion, and for partner promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).
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23. Tom Fontana
1951-. (aged 75)
film producer
television producer
screenwriter
Tom Fontana is an American screenwriter, writer, and television producer. Fontana worked on NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street and created HBO's Oz.
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24. Cindy Sherman
1954-. (aged 72)
photographer
filmmaker
film director
cinematographer
director
Cynthia Morris Sherman is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters.
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25. Robert Longo
1953-. (aged 73)
film director
graphic artist
director
painter
sculptor
Robert Longo is an American artist, filmmaker, photographer and musician. Longo became first well known in the 1980s for his Men in the Cities drawing and print series, which depict sharply dressed men and women writhing in contorted emotion. He lives in New York and East Hampton.
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