List of Virginia Commonwealth University alumni

This page lists notable alumni and students of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Art

Notable artists who are alumni and students of VCU School of the Arts.

• Diana al-Hadid – sculptor and installation artist (MFA 2005)
• Trudy Benson – abstract artist (BFA 2007)
• James Bumgardner – painter, multi-media artist, RPI, VCU art faculty (BFA 1955)
• Tony Cokes – video artist (MFA 1985)
• Rose Datoc Dall – painter (BFA 1990)
• Tara Donovan – sculptor (MFA 1999)
• Torkwase Dyson – painter (BFA 1999)
• Joseph Craig English – printmaker (BFA 1970)
• Donwan Harrell – fashion designer, founder of Prps and Akademiks (BFA 1989)
• Lisa Hoke – sculptor and installation artist (BFA 1978)
• Sterling Hundley – illustrator and painter (BFA 1998)
• Ross Iannatti - painter and sculptor (BFA 2013)
• Abby Kasonik – painter (BFA 1998)
• Nate Lewis – cut paper sculptor (BS 2009)
• Whitney Lynn – sculptor and performance artist (BFA 2004)
• Philip B. Meggs – graphic designer and historian of design (BFA 1964, MFA 1971)
• Eric Millikin – conceptual, internet, video and performance artist (MFA 2021)
• Janice Smith – furniture maker (BFA 1976)
• Carol Sutton – painter and sculptor (BFA 1967)
• Alice Tangerini – botanical illustrator (BFA 1972)
• Alessandra Torres – performance and installation artist (MFA 2006)

Government

• Watkins Abbitt, Jr. – member of the Virginia House of Delegates[1]
• Adele McClure – Former Outreach and Policy Director for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Justin Fairfax
• Nancy McFalane – Former Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina (2011–2019)
• Rob Wittman – Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia's 1st congressional district[2]
• Yasonna Laoly – Minister of Law and Human Rights of Indonesia (2014–present)
• Will Sessoms - Mayor of Virginia Beach, VA (2008-2018)

Media

• Mamé Adjei – runner up of America's Next Top Model cycle 22
• David Baldacci – author, best known for his novel Absolute Power (1996)
• Rachel Beanland - author of Florence Adler Swims Forever
• Macon Blair - actor and Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning filmmaker, known for his collaborations with Jeremy Saulnier
• Terrell Brown – CBS News correspondent
• Caressa Cameron – 2010 Miss America
• Daryl Cobb – author,[3] national children's educational presenter[4]
• Andrea Detwiler – 2006 Daytime Emmy winner
• Stephen Furst – actor and director, known as "Flounder" in the National Lampoon classic Animal House (1978) as well as TV series St. Elsewhere and Babylon 5
• Jason Butler Harner – Broadway, television, and film actor; performed in original production of Coast of Utopia; was in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated film Changeling
• Bilal Khan - Pakistani singer and actor
• Zachary Knighton – actor, ABC series Happy Endings
• Boris Kodjoe – actor, model
• Robert Lanham – author, best known for his book The Hipster Handbook (2003)
• Debbie Matenopoulos – TV host, known for co-hosting ABC's The View, The Daily 10, and TV Guide Channel's The Screening Room
• Wiley Miller – cartoonist and author of the comic strip Non Sequitur
• Caelynn Miller-Keyes - Runner-Up Miss USA 2018, Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise Contestant
• Trevor Moore - comedian and founding member of The Whitest Kids U' Know
• Lisa L. Opie – beauty pageant titleholder, actress, model, and swimsuit designer[5]
• Howard Owen - journalist, author of crime fiction and the novel Littlejohn.
• Jay Pharoah – comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member
• Jon Pineda - award-winning poet and novelist
• Christopher Poole, aka moot – founder of 4chan[6]
• Kevin Powers – novelist and poet, known for The Yellow Birds (2013), a finalist for the National Book Award[7]
• Tom Robbins – author, best known for his novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976)
• Steve Segal - comic artist, animation director
• Robb Spewak – producer and radio personality for The Don and Mike Show and The Mike O'Meara Show
• Steve Rasnic Tem - horror fiction writer, winner of the World Fantasy, British Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards
• Phil Trumbo - film animator, artist
• Brandon Wardell – comedian and Twitter personality
• Mike Wieringo – comic book artist for Marvel and DC comics; co-creator of Image Comics series Tellos
• Bree Sison — multi-award winning investigative journalist at WTVR Channel 6 News and former CBS News anchor. Current in-game on-court emcee for VCU Men’s Basketball.

Music

• Anhayla – singer-songwriter, guitarist
• Sam Beam – singer/songwriter known as Iron and Wine[8]
• Nickelus F - rapper, producer, videographer
• GWAR – several founding members of the band
• Lamb of God – several founding members of the band
• Stefan Lessard – bassist for Dave Matthews Band
• Matthew Ramsey - songwriter, lead singer for Old Dominion
• Eric Stanley – violinist, composer
• Robbin Thompson – singer-songwriter
• Will Toledo – frontman of the band Car Seat Headrest, attended VCU for one semester
• Steve West – drummer of the indie rock band Pavement and front man for Marble Valley
• Gordy Haab -- composer of the Star Wars video games music and multiple award winner in that genre.

Science

• Arpana Agrawal - psychiatric geneticist and professor of psychiatry, 2018 Theodore Reich Young Investigator Award
• Hunter "Patch" Adams, M.D. – founder of the Gesundheit! Institute and subject of the movie Patch Adams
• Baruj Benacerraf, M.D. – winner of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Medicine
• Saul Krugman, M.D. – medical researcher who discovered a vaccine against hepatitis B
• Arpad Vass – research scientist, forensic anthropologist and professor

Sports

• Mo Alie-Cox - current Tight End for the Indianapolis Colts
• Yann Bonato – former European professional basketball player; former French National Team member; member of France's silver medal-winning men's basketball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; played one season (1990–91) at VCU[9][10]
• Troy Daniels – current shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers
• Andrew Dykstra – MLS goalkeeper for D.C. United; has also played with the Chicago Fire in MLS
• Treveon Graham - current forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves
• Lanto Griffin - current professional golfer on the PGA Tour
• Sherman Hamilton – former member of Canadian National Men's Basketball Team; participated in 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia; currently a TV analyst for the Toronto Raptors[11]
• Gerald Henderson – played for the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Seattle SuperSonics, and San Antonio Spurs, winning four NBA championships
• Quanitra Hollingsworth – center for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA;[12] member of Turkey's 2012 Olympic women's basketball team[13]
• Brandon Inge – MLB infielder, currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates; formerly played for the Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers[14]
• Sean Marshall – relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds[15]
• Eric Maynor – played for the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers currently a free agent NBA[16]
• Cla Meredith – former MLB relief pitcher; played for the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles[17]
• Hayley Moorwood – member of New Zealand women's Olympic Soccer Team in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012[18]
• Dominic Oduro – current forward for the Columbus Crew in MLS
• John Rollins – professional golfer and PGA pro[19]
• Larry Sanders – drafted #15 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2010 NBA Draft[20]
• Gonzalo Segares – current defender for Apollon Limassol in Cyprus; former defender for the Chicago Fire in MLS
• Scott Sizemore – infielder for the Oakland Athletics[21]
• Briante Weber - current guard for the Houston Rockets

Other

• Mirta Martin (Ph.D. 1996) – ninth president of Fort Hays State University

John Spadea-Account Manager, 5 time trip winner Sentry Insurance, a division of Wayne Enterprises

References

1. "Abbitt, Watkins Moorman (1908–1998)". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
2. "WITTMAN, Robert J., (1959–)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
3. Bostwick, Joanne. "About Daryl Cobb". authorvisitsbydarylcobb.com/aboutme.html. Daryl Cobb Productions. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
4. Cobb, Daryl. "Author Visits by Daryl Cobb". Author Visits by Daryl Cobb. Daryl Cobb Productions. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
5. "College Student Starts Business on a Bikini String". WTVR CBS 6. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
6. Washington Post
7. Kevin Powers
8. Sims, Dave (25 Sep 2007). "Growing a Bard". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
9. "Yann Bonato Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
10. "VCU". Vcuathletics.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
11. "Literature Study Guides – By Popularity". eNotes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
12. "Quanitra Hollingsworth – WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. "Brandon Inge Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
15. "Sean Marshall Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
16. "Eric Demarqua Maynor". Basketball-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
17. "Cla Meredith Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
18. "FIFA Tournaments – Players & Coaches – Hayley MOORWOOD". Fifa.com. 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
19. "John Rollins". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
20. "Larry Sanders". Basketball-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
21. "Scott Sizemore Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.