89 Notable alumni of University of Rhode Island

James Francis McNulty was a U.S Maritime Service (USMS) rear admiral, a United States Navy captain, and an educator of both naval officers and Merchant Marine officers. He began his naval career in 1953 shortly after graduating from Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a B.S. in marine engineering. He served as a naval surface warfare officer for twenty-two years, which included...

Virgil Carl Gray is an American former professional football defensive back who played in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the University of Rhode Island.

Jerry Gladstone is an author, personal life coach and marketing executive. During his 25-year career, Gladstone specialized in the production and distribution of entertainment fine art for major movie studios and celebrities. Gladstone is the founder of The Common Thread Success Academy, The Common Thread Group and author of the International Best-Selling Book, The Common Thread of Overcoming Adversity and...

Edward F. Welch Jr. was a rear admiral of the United States Navy active during much of the Cold War. His career included service as a submarine officer, positions related to nuclear warfare planning, arms control, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization affairs, and a tour as president of the Naval War College.

Melvin Schrieberg was an American businessman, best known for co-founding Election.com, where he acted as the project manager for the first major political election ever run over the internet, the Arizona Democratic Primary of 2000, won by Al Gore. He later served as acting Chief Executive Officer of SpiralFrog, one of the first ad-supported free music services during 2007-2008.

Matilene Spencer Berryman was an American oceanographer and attorney. Originally from Prince Edward County, Virginia.

James Zachos is an American paleoclimatologist, oceanographer, and marine scientist. He is currently a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary sciences at University of California, Santa Cruz where he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2017. His research focuses on the biological, chemical, and climatic evolution of late Cretaceous and Cenozoic oceans, and how past...

Rear Admiral Francis D. "Bill" Moran is a retired career officer who served in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, its successor, the Environmental Science Services Administration Corps (ESSA Corps), and the ESSA Corps's successor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps). He served as the third Director of the NOAA Corps.

Dr. Mary A. Voytek is the Exobiology Branch Chief at NASA's Ames Research Center, and the former director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astrobiology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In 2015, Voytek formed Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS), a systems science initiative by NASA, to search for life on exoplanets. Voytek came to NASA from...

Daryl Justin Finizio is an American politician, and was the first strong mayor of New London, Connecticut. As a Democrat, he won the mayoral election in November 2011 with 46% of the vote in a 6-way race (an almost 2:1 margin to the next highest vote getter).

Mary Mona Lisi is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

Katy Croff Bell is an American marine explorer who has been on more than 30 oceanographic and archaeological expeditions including in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. She is also an American Association for Advancement of Science If/Then Ambassador in recognition of her work to interest girls in STEM careers.

Daniel Gaskill Aldrich, Jr. was the founding chancellor at the University of California, Irvine from 1962 to 1984. He also served as acting chancellor at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1986 to 1987 and acting chancellor at the University of California, Riverside from 1984 to 1985.

Þórunn Helga Jónsdóttir is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for KR as a defensive midfielder. Þórunn Helga is part of Iceland's national team and has played professional football in Brazil.

William W. Latimer is an infectious disease epidemiologist and academic administrator. He recently served as the 7th President of Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and previously served as the 14th President of the College of New Rochelle.

Dóra María Lárusdóttir is an Icelandic former football player who predominantly played as a winger for Icelandic club Valur. Having played for Valur for a decade and been voted national Player of the Year in 2008 and 2010, Dóra María was for many years one of Iceland's leading female footballers. During her career, she won the Icelandic championship eight times...

Alex Miller is a Republican politician and businesswoman from Florida. She served half of her two-year term in the Florida House of Representatives, representing parts of Sarasota in District 72.

Robert Emmett Craven Sr. is an American politician and a Democrat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 32 since January 1, 2013. He serves as Chairman of the House Municipal Government Committee and a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Craven also serves on the R.I. Governor's Justice Reinvestment Working Group.

Brigadier General Walter Daniel Fillmore was a general officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Cyril Langevine Jr. is a Guyanese–American professional basketball player who last played for Maroussi of the Greek Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams.

Antonio A. Mignucci is a biological oceanographer and veterinary technician specializing in the biology, management and conservation of marine mammals. He is the founder of the international non-profit conservation organization Red Caribeña de Varamientos (Caribbean Stranding Network) dedicated to the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of injured or stranded marine mammals, sea turtle and sea birds. As a scientist, Mignucci is...

Peter B. de Menocal is an oceanographer and paleoclimatologist. He is the president and director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a research facility in Massachusetts.

Lazare Adingono is a Cameroonian-American former basketball player and current head coach of Primeiro de Agosto of the Angolan Basketball League.

Theo Martins is an American artist, songwriter, and actor. His output has drawn praise from outlets including The LA Times, GQ magazine, The Washington Post and Wallpaper Magazine.

Rick Baccus is a retired Army National Guard Brigadier General. Baccus received a regular Army commission in 1974 as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program and immediately entered active duty. He is most noted for commanding the Guantanamo Bay detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002.

Akeem Richmond is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Rhode Island and East Carolina University, where he was a premier three-point shooter, recording the most three-pointers in the 2013–14 season among all college players.

Pasquale Abbruzzi was an American college and professional Canadian football running back and a successful high school football coach. Abbruzzi played collegiately for the University of Rhode Island (Class of 1955), and professionally for the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s Montreal Alouettes for four years (1955–1959).

Margaret S. Leinen is an American paleoceanographer and paleoclimatologist. In the 1990s she served as a dean and the Vice Provost for Marine and Environmental Programs at the University of Rhode Island and was appointed as the head of the Geosciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation in January, 2000. She founded the Climate Response Fund, a non-profit focused on...

Olivier Pastré is a French banker and economist. He serves as Chairman of IM Bank and as a professor of economics at Paris 8 University.

Ree Morton was an American visual artist who was closely associated with the postminimalist and feminist art movements of the 1970s.

Stuart Vyse is an American psychologist, teacher, speaker and author who specializes in belief in superstitions and critical thinking. He is frequently invited as a speaker and interviewed by the media as an expert on superstitious behavior. His book Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition won the American Psychological Association's William James Book Award. He is a Fellow of...

Christopher George Holm is an American former professional basketball player in Japan. He is an assistant coach for the Kyoto Hannaryz.

Leon J. LaPorte is a retired United States Army general who served as Commander, 1st Cavalry Division from 1995 through 1997 and as Commander, United States Forces Korea until 2006.

Daniel George Stec is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate for the 45th district. He represents all of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Warren Counties, and parts of St. Lawrence County and Washington County in North Country. He previously represented the 114th district of the New York State Assembly from 2013 to 2020.

John Joseph Garrahy, known to Rhode Islanders as J. Joseph Garrahy or just "Joe", was an American politician. He served as the 69th Governor of Rhode Island from 1977 to 1985.

Jeffrey Lee Dowtin Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams.

Louis Frank Edelblut is an American businessman and politician who was the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education from 2017-2025. Edelblut formerly served as a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. During his term in the House, Edelblut represented Hillsborough County District 38, including the towns of Antrim, Bennington, Francestown, Greenville, Greenfield, Hancock, Hillsborough, Lyndeborough,...

Robert A. Weygand is an American politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1997 until 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party from Rhode Island.

Joshua Miller is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing Cranston District 28 from January 2007 to January 2025.

Elbert Clark Matthews is an American professional basketball player who plays for KK Feniks 2010 Skopje of the Macedonian Prva Liga. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams where he was a Second-team All-Atlantic 10 in 2015.

Wei Kuo-yen is a Taiwanese oceanographer. He was the Minister of the Environmental Protection Administration from 3 March 2014 to 20 May 2016.

Andrew John McKean is an American politician and retired attorney in the state of Iowa. He represented various districts in the Iowa House of Representatives, including District 23 from 1979 to 1983 and District 44 from 1983 to 1993. Afterward, he served in the Iowa Senate, representing District 28 from 1993 to 2003. He served as a supervisor of Jones...

Giovanni Feroce is an American businessman, investor, U.S. Army combat veteran, and former Rhode Island State Senator. He is best known as the former CEO of lifestyle brand Alex and Ani. He is the founder and CEO of Palm Beach Equity Partners.

Will Daniels is an American professional basketball player for Real Estelí of the LSB. He played college basketball for Rhode Island.

Claudine Schneider is an American politician and executive who served five terms as a Republican U.S. representative from Rhode Island from 1981 to 1991. She was the first, and to date only, woman elected to Congress from Rhode Island.

Stephen Robert Furness, nicknamed Buckethead, Furny, was an American professional football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), and a member of the Steelers' famed Steel Curtain defense. He earned four Super Bowl rings as a member of the Steelers. He was of English and Armenian descent. He converted to Judaism.

Peter Michael Coleman Courtney was an American politician, lawyer, and professor who was a Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 11th District (in Marion County and including parts of Salem, Woodburn, and Gervais) from 1999 until 2023. He served as President of the Senate from 2003 to 2023, the longest tenure in state history.

Darren Matthew Haynes is an American television sports anchor, and winner of 13 Emmy Awards. Currently he is Sports Anchor at CBS affiliate KCAL in Los Angeles, California. He was previously the Sports Director and a Sports Anchor for WUSA in Washington D.C. Darren also anchored SportsCenter on ESPN.

Tyson Aaron Wheeler is an American former professional basketball player and a current assistant coach at Brown University. A 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m), 165-pound (75 kg) point guard, he played four years at the University of Rhode Island Rams men's basketball team from 1994 to 1998. Along with teammate Cuttino Mobley, Wheeler led the Rams to the Elite Eight in the...

Nancy McKinstry is an American businesswoman, now living in the Netherlands. She is CEO and chairwoman of the executive board of Wolters Kluwer since September 2003, and a member of the executive board since June 2001.

Mary-Ann Baldwin is an American marketing executive and politician from the state of North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, serving from 2019 to 2024, and previously served on the Raleigh City Council from 2007 to 2017.

Jared Marquis Terrell is an American professional basketball player who last played for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams.

Ronald L. Rothstein is an American former professional basketball coach and college basketball player, who has led many different NBA teams. He served as the first head coach for the Miami Heat, and later coached the Detroit Pistons. He has also coached in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2007–08, he also filled in for Pat Riley as an...

Michael McDermott is a Northern Irish football coach and former player.

Stephen Aiello is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known for touring and recording with American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. He was one of the founding members of Monty Are I, a band he formed in 1998 with some friends. Aiello has also worked with artists such as Mumford & Sons, Cheyenne Jackson, Lana...

Lincoln Carter Almond was an American attorney and politician who served as the 72nd Governor of Rhode Island from 1995 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from 1969 to 1978 and again from 1981 until 1993.

Delroy James is a Guyanese-born, naturalized American professional basketball player. At a height of 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) tall, and a weight of 105 kg (231 lb), he can play at the power forward and small forward positions, with power forward being his main position.

Robert Lloyd "Bob" Crandall is an American businessman who is the former president and chairman of American Airlines. Called an industry legend by airline industry observers, Crandall has been the subject of several books and is a member of the Hall of Honor of the Conrad Hilton college.

Hassan Martin is an American professional basketball player for Manisa Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).

Mary Testa is an American stage and film actress. She is a three-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town, 42nd Street (2001) and Oklahoma (2019).

Nicola Akele is a Congolese–Italian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams.

Leila Marie Goldkuhl Masterson is an American fashion model. She is known for competing on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 19.

Xavier Tyler Jerome Munford is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Holon of the Israeli Basketball Premier League And Basketball Champions League (BCL). He played two seasons of college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams.

Jorge O. Elorza is an American law professor who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 2015 until 2023. He defeated former mayor Buddy Cianci in the 2014 mayoral election and on January 5, 2015, was sworn in as mayor of the city.

Tyrese Jeffrey Martin is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams and the UConn Huskies.

Paul William "Sage" Francis is an American independent underground rapper from Providence, Rhode Island. He is the founder and CEO of Strange Famous Records.

Jacob Toppin is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams and the Kentucky Wildcats. He is the younger brother of professional basketball player Obi Toppin.

Jeremy Michael Boorda was a United States Navy admiral who served as the 25th Chief of Naval Operations. Boorda is notable as the first person to have risen from the enlisted ranks to become Chief of Naval Operations, the highest-ranking billet in the United States Navy.

Duval Clear, better known by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. A lead member of Mr. Magic's hip hop collective Juice Crew, he is best known for his guest appearance alongside Kool G Rap, Craig G and Big Daddy Kane on the group's 1988 posse cut "The Symphony". He is...

Mat Franco is an American magician best known for his personality-driven, skill-based sleight of hand magic. He was the first magician to win America's Got Talent, in the show's ninth season. Franco went on to produce and star in his own primetime TV specials on NBC, Mat Franco’s Got Magic. In 2015, he created and debuted his live stage show...

Amanda Clayton is an American actress, best known for her role as Alex Montgomery in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera, If Loving You Is Wrong.

Charles A. Flynn is a retired United States Army general who last served as the commanding general of United States Army Pacific from 2021 to 2024. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Training of the Army Staff from 2019 to 2021. He is the younger brother of Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, Donald Trump's...

Robert Duane Ballard is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is noted for his work in underwater archaeology (maritime archaeology and archaeology of shipwrecks) and marine geology. He is best known by the general public for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship...

Cuttino Rashawn Mobley is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association from 1998 to 2008. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams, earning conference player of the year honors in the Atlantic 10 in 1998. Mobley was selected in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets and...

Anthony Sawyer Horton Jr., known professionally as Tony Horton, is an American personal trainer, author, and former actor. He is best known as the creator of the commercial home exercise regimen P90X.

Vladimir Albert Duthiers is an American television journalist who has been a correspondent for CBS News since 2014. He currently is the featured host and co-anchor of CBS Mornings and the co-anchor of CBS News 24/7 Mornings. He was previously, for five years, a member of the CNN team that won two Emmy Awards for its coverage of the 2010...

Lamar Joseph Odom is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.

Michael Thomas Flynn is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 24th U.S. national security advisor for the first 22 days of the first Trump administration. He resigned in light of reports that he had lied regarding conversations with Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn's military career included a key role in shaping...

Christiane Maria Heideh Amanpour CBE is a British-Iranian journalist and television host. Amanpour is the Chief International Anchor for CNN and host of CNN International's nightly interview program Amanpour, CNN's The Amanpour Hour on Saturdays and Amanpour & Company on PBS. She also hosts Christiane Amanpour Presents The Ex-Files with her ex-husband James Rubin on Global.

John King is an American news anchor. He is CNN's chief national correspondent, based in Washington, D.C.. He formerly anchored Inside Politics, State of the Union, and John King, USA.

Candace Amber Owens Farmer is an American political commentator and author. Her political positions have mostly been described as conservative or far-right. She has promoted conspiracy theories on a wide range of subjects throughout her career.

Jose B. Gonzalez is a Latino poet and educator.

Sandra C. Cano is an American politician from the state of Rhode Island. She served in the Rhode Island Senate, representing District 8. Cano is a member of the Democratic Party.

Daniel Harple is an American entrepreneur, investor, inventor and engineer best known for his role in the creation of several Internet standards, among them, Real Time Streaming Protocol used in entertainment and communications systems such as YouTube, RealPlayer, QuickTime, Skype, and others. Harple has been called a visionary, an Internet pioneer, and a "serial entrepreneur", founding multiple technology start-ups and...

Mary Masters Kolar is an American retired military officer and politician who is the Wisconsin Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Administration of Governor Tony Evers.

Rajendra K. Srivastava is Novartis Professor of Marketing Strategy and Innovation at the Indian School of Business. He has been a tenured professor and an academic administrator and has worked in the United States, Singapore, and India. He has been listed in the Forbes's Tycoons of Tomorrow 2018. He is also a member of the board of directors of Happiest...

Aria Mia Loberti is an American actress and author. She is known for portraying Marie-Laure Leblanc in the Netflix miniseries All the Light We Cannot See (2023).

Kimberly Kowal Arcand is a data visualizer and science communicator for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. She is also the visualization coordinator for the Aesthetics and Astronomy image response project at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.