List of University of New Mexico alumni

List of alumni of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Academia

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
John Adair	1948 PhD	Pioneer of Navajo and Zuni cultural studies; professor of anthropology at San Francisco State University and Cornell University	[1][2]
James Anaya	1980	Dean of the University of Colorado Law School, United Nations Special Rapporteur	[3]
Christopher Andronicos	1995	Associate professor of geology at Purdue University	[4]
Bob Barney	1959	Academic and sports historian	[5]
Kirk Bryan		Geologist on the faculty of Harvard University	[6]
Gregory Cajete		One of the founders of integrating Native American studies with science disciplines	[7]
Jack Dongarra	1980	Mathematician, computer scientist, and professor at the University of Tennessee	[8]
James G. Ellis	1968	Dean of USC Marshall School of Business	[9]
Wade Ellis	1938	Associate dean of the Rackham Graduate School	[10]
Alison Fields	2009 PhD	Art historian; professor at the University of Oklahoma	[11]
Lee Fitzgerald		Professor of zoology and curator of amphibians and reptiles at Texas A&M University	[12]
Julio Gea-Banacloche	1985	Head of the department of physics at the University of Arkansas	[13]
Shohini Ghose	2003	Quantum physicist and professor of physics and computer science at Wilfrid Laurier University	[14]
Eva Simone Hayward	2001 BA	Women's studies researcher on faculty at University of Arizona	[15]
Elizabeth Lapovsky-Kennedy	non-degreed	Social anthropologist who founded the Women's Studies College at SUNY Buffalo	[16]
Vernon Lattin	1960 BBA	President of Brooklyn College	[17]
	1965 MA
Thomas F. Madden	1986 BA	chair of the history department at Saint Louis University; director of Saint Louis University's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies	[18]
sj Miller		Professor of teacher education at the Santa Fe Community College	[19]
Marion Pearsall	1944 BA	Medical and cultural anthropologist at the University of Kentucky and its Medical Center	[20]
Michael D. Rhodes	1989 MS	Egyptologist; associate professor of ancient scripture emeritus at Brigham Young University	[21]
Leon Silver	1948 MS	Professor of geology at California Institute of Technology	[22]
Jerry D. Thompson	MA	Professor of history at Texas A&M International University i	[23]
Jada Benn Torres	2001 MA	Genetic anthropologist and associate professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University	[24]
	2006 PhD

Art and architecture

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Rodney Carswell	1968 BFA	Abstract artist and painter	[25]
William Conger	1966	Artist and painter	[26]
Barbara Degenevieve	1980	Interdisciplinary artist who worked in photography, video, and performance	[27]
Richard Diebenkorn	1951	Painter and printmaker	[28]
Adee Dodge	1933 BA	Painter, Navajo code talker, and linguist	[29]
Anita Douthat	1986	Fine art photographer	[30]
Wendy Edwards	1974	Contemporary painter and educator	[31]
Carmelita Little Turtle		Photographer	[32]
Bashirul Haq	1975 MArch	Architect and town planner	[33]
Marcelina Herrera		Painter	[34]
Margaret Stratton	1983 MA	Photographer and video artist	[35]
	1985 MFA
Melissa Miller	1974	Artist	[36]
Jennifer Nehrbass	MFA	Artist	[37]
Antoine Predock		Architect	[38]
Meridel Rubenstein	1977 MFA	Photographer and installation artist	[39]
Signe Margaret Stuart	1961 MA	Artist, known for abstract paintings	[40]
Maye Torres	MFA	Artist	[41]

Business

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Terry Calvani	1970	Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission	[42]
Edward Lewis	1964	Chairman and CEO of Essence Communications Inc.	[43]
Robert Mercer	1968	Co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies	[44]
Caswell Silver	1940	Geologist and CEO of Sundance Oil Company	[45]

Entertainment

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Tony Booth		Country musician	[46]
Raven Chacon	2001	Musician, composer, and winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music	[47]
Cissy King		Singer and dancer; featured performer on The Lawrence Welk Show	[48]
John Lewis		Jazz pianist, composer and arranger	[49]
Miguel Marquez		ABC News correspondent	[50]
Penny Marshall		Actress and director	[51]
Barrett Martin	2005 2008	Grammy Awards-winning producer, drummer, composer, and writer	[52]
Cody Willard	1996	Fox Business Network anchor	[53]

Law

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Joseph F. Baca	1960	Chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court	[54]
Paul Bloom		lawyer, special counsel for the United States Department of Energy during the Carter Administration	[55]
Santiago E. Campos	1953 JD	United States federal judge	[56]
Edward L. Chavez	1981	Chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court	[57]
Judith C. Herrera	1976	United States federal judge	[58]
David Iglesias	1984	Former United States attorney for the District of New Mexico; controversially dismissed	[59]
Donald L. Ivers		Former judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims	[60]
Gary King	1984	New Mexico Attorney General	[61]
Thomas J. Mabry		Chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court; Governor of New Mexico	[62]
John H. Morrison		Senior partner of the law firm Kirkland & Ellis	[63]
Judith Nakamura	1983	Chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court	[64]
	1989 JD
Carol Jean Vigil		First Native American woman to be a state district judge in the United States	[65]

Literature and journalism

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Edward Abbey	1951	Author and essayist, known for his novel The Monkey Wrench Gang	[66]
	1956
Paige Ackerson-Kiely	BA	Poet	[67]
Ania Ahlborn		Horror novelist	[68]
Rudolfo Anaya	1963 BA	Author and humanitarian, best known for his 1972 novel Bless Me, Ultima	[69]
	1968 MA
	1972 MA
Sarah Bird	1973	Novelist, screenwriter, and journalist	[70]
Janice Gould		Writer and poet	[71]
Joy Harjo	1976	Former United States Poet Laureate, writer, musician, and activist	[72]
James Haskins	1963	Author of books for children and adults	[73]
George Johnson	1975	Journalist and science writer	[74]
Brian Jay Jones	1989	Biographer	[75]
L. Luis Lopez		Poet	[76]
Lori Ostlund		Short story writer	[77]
Mel Plaut	1997 BA	Writer, essayist, and taxi driver	[78]
V. B. Price	1962	Poet and columnist	[79]
Kathryn Ptacek	1974	Author and magazine editor	[80]
Leslie Marmon Silko	1969 BA	Writer and key figure in the Native American Renaissance	[81]
Melinda M. Snodgrass		Science fiction novelist and screenwriter	[82]

Military

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Gregory R. Bryant	BS	United States Navy rear admiral	[83]
Emil Lassen	1978 BS	Air National Guard major general	[84]
William L. Nyland	1968	United States Marine Corps four-star general; former assistant commandant of the Marine Corps	[85]

Politics

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Jerry Apodaca	1953	Governor of New Mexico	[86]
Lynn Birleffi		Wyoming House of Representatives	[87]
Charles W. Blackwell	1972	First ambassador of the Chickasaw Nation to the United States (1995–2013)	[88]
Jennifer Carroll	1985	Lieutenant Governor of Florida	[89]
Martin Chávez	1975	Mayor of Albuquerque	[90]
Brian Colon		Former chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico	[91]
Diane Denish	1971	Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico	[92]
Deb Haaland	1994	Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior; United States House of Representatives	[93][94]
	2006
Pete Domenici	1954	United States Senate	[95]
Shirley Hufstedler	1945	First United States Secretary of Education	[96]
Gary Johnson	1975	Governor of New Mexico; 2012 and 2016 presidential candidate	[97]
Ghanim Al-Jumaily	1987	Ambassador of Iraq to Saudi Arabia, Ambassador of Iraq to Japan	[98][99]
Bruce King		Governor of New Mexico	[100]
Peter Koo	1975	Member of the New York City Council	[101]
Michelle Lujan Grisham	1981	Governor of New Mexico and United States House of Representatives	[102]
Thomas J. Mabry		Governor of New Mexico and chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court	[62]
Lenton Malry	1968	First African American to serve in the New Mexico House of Representatives	[103]
Oscar W. McConkie Jr.	1946	Utah State Senate and Utah House of Representatives	[104]
Cisco McSorley	1974	New Mexico Senate and New Mexico House of Representatives	[105]
	1979 JD
Steven Schiff	1972 JD	United States House of Representatives	[106]
Jean Schodorf		Kansas Senate	[107]
Thomas C. Taylor		New Mexico House of Representatives	[108]
Maggie Toulouse Oliver	BA	Secretary of State of New Mexico	[109]
	MA
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend	1978 JD	Former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland; the eldest of Robert F. Kennedy's children	[110]
Tom Udall	1977 JD	United States House of Representatives; United States Senate	[111]
John Wertheim	1995 JD	Former member of the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee	[112]

Science, technology, and medicine

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
Aleksandra Faust	2014 PhD	AI researcher and research director at Google DeepMind	[113]
Kathy Lueders	1986	First woman to head NASA's human spaceflight program	[114]
Michael Trujillo	1966 BS	Physician and director of the Indian Health Service	[115]
	1967 BA
	1970 MA
	1974 MD

Sports

Alumnus	Class	Notability	References
John Baker	1966	WAC Cross-Country and Mile Championship	[116]
Dave Barney	1959	Educator and swimming coach	[117]
Hank Baskett	2006	Former NFL wide receiver	[118]
Charlie Beljan		PGA Tour winner	[119]
Byron Bell	2010	Former NFL offensive tackle	[120]
David Bishop		All-American middle-distance runner and international athlete	[121]
Ken Brown		Former NFL offensive lineman	[122]
Adva Cohen		Israeli runner	[123]
Robin Cole		Former NFL player, first-round draft pick, and two-time Super Bowl winner	[124]
Michael Cooper	1978	Former NBA player	[125]
Justin Davis		Soccer player	[126]
Sam Dixon	1997	College basketball coach	[127]
John Dodson		Mixed martial artist competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship	[128]
Jordan Espinosa		Wrestler and mixed martial artist for the UFC	[129]
Andy Frederick		Former NFL offensive tackle	[130]
Luis González		Baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants	[131]
Danny Granger		NBA player	[132]
Kelly Graves	1987	head women's basketball coach at University of Oregon	[133]
Eddie Guerrero		WWE wrestler and a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family	[134]
Daniel Ray Herrera		Major League Baseball player	[135]
Tim Herron		Professional golfer on the PGA Tour	[136]
Katie Hnida	2004	First woman to score in a Division I college football game and a college football bowl game	[137]
Euan Holden		Professional association football player	[138]
Shawn Hollingsworth		Former NFL player	[139]
Holly Holm		Professional mixed martial arts fighter, former UFC bantamweight champion	[140]
Brian Johnson		Football player	[141]
Rocky Long	1971	Head football coach, San Diego State University	[142]
Luc Longley	1991	Former NBA player and the first Australian to play in the NBA	[143]
Terance Mathis	1990	Former NFL player	[144]
Jordan Pacheco		Major League Baseball infielder for the Colorado Rockies	[145]
Don Perkins		Former NFL All-Pro running back	[146]
Devon Sandoval		Soccer player for Real Salt Lake	[147]
Sam Scarber	s1970	Former NFL and CFL player	[148]
Scott Strickland		Major League Baseball player	[149]
John Sullivan		Football player	[150]
Brian Urlacher	2000	Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year	[151]
Rodney Wallace	1970	Former NFL player and Super Bowl champion	[152]