29 Notable alumni of Xavier University of Louisiana
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Xavier University of Louisiana is 2380st in the world, 1st in North America, and 613st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 29 notable alumni from Xavier University of Louisiana sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Xavier University of Louisiana won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Débria Brown
1936-2001 (aged 65)
opera singer
Débria M. Brown was an American operatic mezzo-soprano who had an active international career that spanned five decades. She was part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success and is viewed as part of an instrumental group of performers who helped break down the barriers of racial prejudice in the opera world. She also worked...
+ show more
2. Tasha Inniss
mathematician
Tasha Rose Inniss is an American mathematician and the vice provost for research at Spelman College.
3. Brian Anthony Jackson
1960-. (aged 66)
lawyer
judge
Brian Anthony Jackson is an American lawyer who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
+ show more
4. Allissa Richardson
1981-. (aged 45)
journalist
Allissa V. Richardson is an American journalist, author, and scholar. She is an associate professor of journalism in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California and the founding director of the Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab. She is a proponent of mobile journalism and citizen journalism. Her research, writing, and teaching focus on...
+ show more
5. Terry Francois
1921-1989 (aged 68)
lawyer
Terry A. Francois was an African American attorney, civil rights activist, and politician. He served as the San Francisco chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and became the first African American to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
+ show more
6. Karim Camara
1971-. (aged 55)
politician
Karim Camara is an American pastor and former Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, where he represented the 43rd Assembly District which includes parts of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Lefferts Gardens and East Flatbush. He is the founding and senior pastor of the Abundant Life Church in Brooklyn and was previously the executive pastor of First...
+ show more
7. Fatima Shaik
1952-. (aged 74)
writer
children's writer
Fatima Shaik is an Indian-American and African-American author and former journalist. Her work explores contemporary social issues, especially those related to the "African-American experience."
+ show more
8. Germaine Bazzle
1932-. (aged 94)
singer
jazz musician
Germaine Bazzle is a jazz vocalist from New Orleans.
9. Gilda A Barabino
1956-. (aged 70)
researcher
teacher
engineer
Gilda A. Barabino is the former president of the Olin College of Engineering, where she is also a professor of biomedical and chemical engineering. Previously, she served as the dean of The Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York, and as a professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering and the CUNY School...
+ show more
10. Aaron Henry
1922-1997 (aged 75)
politician
Aaron Henry was an American civil rights leader, politician, and head of the Mississippi branch of the NAACP. He was one of the founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which tried to seat their delegation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
+ show more
11. Fernand J. Cheri
1952-2023 (aged 71)
Catholic deacon
Catholic bishop
Catholic priest
Fernand Joseph "Ferd" Cheri III, OFM was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. A member of the Order of Friars Minor, Cheri served as an auxiliary bishop of Archdiocese of New Orleans from 2015 until his death in 2023.
+ show more
12. Ivan L. R. Lemelle
1950-. (aged 76)
lawyer
judge
Ivan L. R. Lemelle is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
13. Bryant Terry
1974-. (aged 52)
chef
Bryant Terry is an African-American vegan chef, food justice activist, and author. He has written four vegan cookbooks and cowrote a book about organic eating. He won a 2015 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for his food justice work. In 2021 he was awarded an NAACP Image Award for his book Vegetable Kingdom, which was also nominated in 2022 for...
+ show more
14. Marino Casem
1934-2020 (aged 86)
coach
Marino H. "The Godfather" Casem was an American college football coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Alabama State University (1963), Alcorn State University (1964–1985), and Southern University (1987–1988, 1992), compiling a career head coaching record of 159–93–8. Casem's Alcorn State Braves teams won four black college national championships and seven Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)...
+ show more
15. Diane Anderson-Minshall
1968-. (aged 58)
print journalist
LGBTQ rights activist
Diane Anderson-Minshall is an American journalist and author best known for writing about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender subjects. She was the first female CEO of Pride Media, publisher of The Advocate, Out, HIV Plus and other LGBTQ-focused magazines and websites. She also co-authored the award-winning 2014 memoir Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders, documenting her relationship with her...
+ show more
16. Lee Allen
1926-1994 (aged 68)
saxophonist
jazz musician
Lee Francis Allen was an American tenor saxophone player. Phil Alvin, Allen's bandmate in The Blasters, called him one of the most important instrumentalists in rock'n'roll. Allen's distinctive tone has been hailed as "one of the defining sounds of rock'n'roll" and "one of the DNA strands of rock."
+ show more
17. Norman Francis
1931-. (aged 95)
academic
Norman Christopher Francis was an American academic who served as president of Xavier University of Louisiana from 1968 to 2015. He was the first Black and first lay president of the school, and the second African American to ever serve as president of a Catholic university in the United States.
+ show more
18. Akilah Weber
1978-. (aged 48)
politician
physician
Akilah Faizah Weber Pierson is an American politician and physician serving as a member of the California State Senate since 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the 39th district, which includes parts of central San Diego as well as all of La Mesa, El Cajon, and Lemon Grove. She previously served in the California State Assembly from...
+ show more
19. Stephen W. Rochon
1950-. (aged 76)
military officer
Stephen Wayne Rochon is an American political staffer who served as the director of the Executive Residence and White House Chief Usher from 2007 to 2011. He was the first African-American White House Chief Usher.
+ show more
20. Ernest Nathan Morial
1929-1989 (aged 60)
lawyer
judge
politician
Ernest Nathan "Dutch" Morial was an American politician and a leading civil rights advocate. He was the first black mayor of New Orleans, serving from 1978 to 1986. He was married to civil rights activist Sybil Haydel Morial and the father of Marc Morial, who served as Mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002.
+ show more
21. Regina Benjamin
1956-. (aged 70)
surgeon
physician
Regina Marcia Benjamin is an American physician and a former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who served as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. Benjamin previously directed a nonprofit primary care medical clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and served on the board of trustees for the Morehouse School of Medicine.
+ show more
22. Troy Carter
1963-. (aged 63)
politician
Troy Anthony Carter Sr. is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district since 2021. He was previously a member of the Louisiana State Senate for the 7th district. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter also previously served on the New Orleans City Council and as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives....
+ show more
23. LaToya Cantrell
1972-. (aged 54)
politician
LaToya Cantrell is an American politician who served as the 62nd mayor of New Orleans from 2018 to 2026. A member of the Democratic Party, Cantrell is the first woman to hold the office. Before becoming mayor, Cantrell represented District B on the New Orleans City Council from 2012 to 2018.
+ show more
24. Renée Gill Pratt
1954-. (aged 72)
politician
Renée Gill Pratt is an American politician from New Orleans, Louisiana. She was also Director of the Center for Student Retention and Success in Southern University at New Orleans. On July 25, 2011, she was found guilty of racketeering. For this crime, she served a four-year sentence.
+ show more
25. Brenda Hatfield
1943-. (aged 83)
official
Brenda Ann Garibaldi Hatfield is an American woman who served as chief administrative officer of the City of New Orleans under Mayor Ray Nagin.
26. Percy Bland
1970-. (aged 56)
politician
Percy Bland is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who is currently the mayor of Meridian, Mississippi. He was re-elected in June 2025, having previously served as mayor from 2013 to 2021. Bland made history as Meridian’s first African American mayor and is widely recognized for his role in the revitalization of Downtown Meridian.
+ show more
27. Annie Easley
1932-2011 (aged 79)
computer scientist
mathematician
engineer
Annie Jean Easley was an African American computer scientist who contributed significantly to the beginning iterations of NASA's rocket technologies.
+ show more
28. Harry E. Johnson
lawyer
Harry Edward Johnson is an American lawyer, academic, and businessman. Johnson is a former national president of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and was the president and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
+ show more
29. Alexis Herman
1947-2025 (aged 78)
business executive
sociologist
social worker
politician
Alexis Margaret Herman was an American political figure who served as the 23rd United States secretary of labor from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. She was the first Black American to hold the position. She was previously Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
+ show more