List of University of New Mexico alumni

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

Alumni

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List of University of New Mexico alumni

Alumnus	Class	Notes
Edward Abbey	1951, 1956	Author and essayist of the American Southwest, famous for his work The Monkey Wrench Gang[1]
Paige Ackerson-Kiely		Poet[citation needed]
John Adair	1948	Pioneer of Navajo and Zuni cultural studies; in 1948, the university's first doctoral candidate in anthropology[2][3]
Ania Ahlborn		Horror novelist[4]
James Anaya	1980	United Nations Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Human Rights[5]
Rudolfo Anaya	1963 1968 1972	Author and humanitarian, best known for his 1972 novel Bless Me, Ultima
Christopher Andronicos	1995	Geologist[6]
Jerry Apodaca	1953	Former governor of New Mexico[7]
Joseph F. Baca	1960	Former chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court[8]
John Baker	1966	WAC Cross-Country and Mile Championship[9]
Bob Barney	1959	Academic and sports historian[10]
Dave Barney	1959	Educator and swimming coach[11]
Hank Baskett	2006	Former NFL wide receiver[12]
Charlie Beljan		PGA Tour winner[citation needed]
Byron Bell	2010	Former NFL offensive tackle[13]
Sarah Bird	1973	Novelist, screenwriter, and journalist[14]
Lynn Birleffi		Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives[15]
David Bishop		All-American middle-distance runner and international athlete[16]
Charles W. Blackwell	1972	First Ambassador of the Chickasaw Nation to the United States (1995–2013)[17]
Paul Bloom		Former special counsel for compliance, U.S. Department of Energy, Carter Administration[18]
Tony Booth		Country musician[19]
Ken Brown		Former NFL offensive lineman[20]
Kirk Bryan		Geologist[21]
Gregory R. Bryant		Rear admiral, U.S. Navy[22]
Gregory Cajete		One of the founders of integrating Native American Studies with science disciplines[23]
Terry Calvani	1970	Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission[24]
Santiago E. Campos		United States federal judge
Jennifer Carroll	1985	18th lieutenant governor of Florida
Rodney Carswell	1968	Abstract artist and painter, educator
Raven Chacon	2001	Musician, composer, winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music[25]
Edward L. Chavez	1981	Chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court[26]
Martin Chávez	1975	Former mayor of Albuquerque[27]
Adva Cohen		Israeli runner[28]
Robin Cole		Former NFL player, first round draft pick, and two-time Super Bowl winner
Brian Colon		Former chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico[29]
William Conger	1966	Artist and painter[30]
Michael Cooper	1978	Former NBA player[31]
Justin Davis		Soccer player[32]
Barbara Degenevieve	1980	Photographer[33]
Diane Denish	1971	Former lieutenant governor of New Mexico[34]
Richard Diebenkorn	1951	Painter[35]
Diane Dimond		Journalist, author, TV anchor[citation needed]
Sam Dixon	1997	College basketball coach[36]
Adee Dodge	1933	Painter, Navajo code-talker, linguist
John Dodson		Mixed martial artist competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship[37]
Pete Domenici	1954	Former U.S. senator representing New Mexico[38]
Jack Dongarra	1980	Mathematician; computer scientist; Distinguished Professor, University of Tennessee; 2022 recipient of the Turing Award[39]
Anita Douthat	1986	Fine art photographer[40]
Wendy Edwards	1974	Contemporary painter and educator[41]
James G. Ellis	1968	Dean of USC Marshall School of Business[42]
Wade Ellis	1938	Former professor of Mathematics at Oberlin College and University of Michigan; former associate dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies at Michigan[43]
Jordan Espinosa		Wrestler; computer engineering; current mixed martial artist for the UFC[44]
Alison Fields	PHD 2009	Art historian; professor at the University of Oklahoma
Lee Fitzgerald		Professor of Zoology and Faculty Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles at Texas A&M University[45]
Andy Frederick		Former NFL offensive tackle[46]
Julio Gea-Banacloche	1985	Quantum physics expert[47]
Shohini Ghose	2003	Quantum physicist and professor[48]
Luis González		Baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants
Janice Gould		Koyangk'auwi Maidu writer and scholar[49]
Danny Granger		NBA player[50]
Kelly Graves	1987	College basketball coach, current head women's basketball coach at University of Oregon[51]
Eddie Guerrero		WWE wrestler and a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family
Deb Haaland	1994 2006	54th secretary of the United States Department of the Interior; first Native American to hold a cabinet position;[52] representative for New Mexico's 1st congressional district; one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress[53]
Bashirul Haq		Prominent architect and educator[citation needed]
Joy Harjo	1976	Former United States poet laureate; writer, musician, and activist
James Haskins	1963	Award-winning children's author[54]
Eva Simone Hayward		Women's Studies researcher on faculty at University of Arizona[55]
Daniel Ray Herrera		Major League Baseball player[56]
Judith C. Herrera	1976	United States federal judge[57]
Marcelina Herrera		Zia Pueblo painter[58]
Tim Herron		Professional golfer on the PGA Tour[59]
Katie Hnida	2004	First woman to score in a Division I college football game and college football bowl game[60]
Euan Holden		Professional association football player[61]
Shawn Hollingsworth		Former NFL player[62]
Holly Holm		Professional mixed martial arts fighter, former UFC bantamweight champion[63]
Shirley Hufstedler	1945	First United States Secretary of Education[64]
David Iglesias	1984	Former United States attorney for the District of New Mexico; controversially dismissed[65]
Donald L. Ivers		Former judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims[66]
Brian Johnson		Football player[67]
Gary Johnson	1975	Former governor of New Mexico; 2012 and 2016 presidential candidate[68]
George Johnson	1975	Science author[69]
Brian Jay Jones	1989	Author, biographer of Washington Irving, Jim Henson, George Lucas, and Dr. Seuss; former president of Biographers International Organization[70]
Ghanim Al-Jumaily	1987	Iraqi diplomat; professor of engineering at Southern New Hampshire University[71][72]
Bruce King		Former three-term governor of New Mexico[73]
Gary King	1984	Attorney general of New Mexico[74]
Peter Koo	1975	Member of the New York City Council[75]
Elizabeth Lapovsky-Kennedy		One of the founding feminists of the field of women's studies[76]
Emil Lassen		Major general, Air National Guard[77]
Vernon Lattin		President of Brooklyn College
Edward Lewis	1964	Chairman and CEO of Essence Communications Inc.[78]
Carmelita Little Turtle		Apache/Rarámuri photographer[79]
Rocky Long	1971	Head football coach, San Diego State University
Luc Longley	1991	Former NBA player and the first Australian to play in the NBA[80]
L. Luis Lopez		Poet[81]
Kathy Lueders	1986	First woman to head NASA's human spaceflight program as the Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate[82]
Michelle Lujan Grisham	1981	Governor of New Mexico, former member of Congress (2013-2019), politician
Thomas J. Mabry		Former governor of New Mexico; chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court[83]
Thomas F. Madden	1986	Author and distinguished historian of the Middle Ages
Lenton Malry	1968	First African American to serve in the New Mexico House of Representatives (1969–1979) and the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners (1981–1989) [84]
Miguel Marquez		ABC News correspondent[85]
Penny Marshall		Actress and director[86]
Barrett Martin	2005 2008	Grammy-winning producer, drummer, composer, writer
Terance Mathis	1990	Former NFL player[citation needed]
Oscar W. McConkie, Jr.	1946	Utah politician and LDS church leader[87]
Cisco McSorley	1974, JD 1979	New Mexico politician[88]
Robert Mercer	1968	Co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies hedge fund
Melissa Miller	1974	Painter[89]
sj Miller		Professor, social justice activist[90]
John H. Morrison		Lawyer; former president of the Association of American Rhodes Scholars[91]
Judith Nakamura	1983, JD 1989	Chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court; former State District Court judge, chief judge of Albuquerque Metro Court[92]
Jennifer Nehrbass		Artist
William L. Nyland	1968	U.S. Marine Corps four-star general; former assistant commandant of the Marine Corps[93]
Lori Ostlund		Short story writer[94]
Jordan Pacheco		Major League Baseball infielder for the Colorado Rockies[citation needed]
Marion Pearsall	BA 1944	Medical and cultural anthropologist
Don Perkins		Former NFL All-Pro running back[95]
Melissa Plaut	BA 1997	Writer and taxi driver
Antoine Predock		Architect[96]
V.B. Price	1962	Journalist, poet, author, scholar and New Mexico historian[97]
Kathryn Ptacek	1974	Author and editor[98]
Michael D. Rhodes		Egyptologist[99]
Meridel Rubenstein	MA 1974, MFA 1977	Photographer and installation artist
Devon Sandoval		Soccer player for Real Salt Lake[100]
Sam Scarber	1970	Former NFL and CFL player[101]
Steven Schiff	JD 1972	Former U.S. congressman representing New Mexico[102]
Jean Schodorf		Member of the Kansas Senate[103]
Leslie Marmon Silko	BA 1969	Writer
Caswell Silver	1940	Geologist and CEO of Sundance Oil Company, endowed Caswell Silver Foundation at UNM
Leon Silver	1948	Professor of Geology, California Institute of Technology; member of National Academy of Sciences; winner of NASA Scientific Achievement Medal; trained Apollo astronauts in field geology for their lunar mission
Melinda M. Snodgrass		Science fiction novelist and screenwriter; co-creator, with George R.R. Martin, of the Wild Cards series
Margaret Stratton	MA 1983, MFA 1985	Photographer and video artist[104]
Scott Strickland		Major League Baseball player[105]
Signe Margaret Stuart	M.A., painting and art history, 1961	Artist, known for her abstract paintings[106]
John Sullivan		Football player
Thomas C. Taylor		New Mexico politician[107]
Jerry D. Thompson		Historian of the American Southwest[108]
Maye Torres	MFA	Artist[109]
Jada Benn Torres	2001 (M.S.), 2006 (Ph.D.)	Genetic anthropologist and Associate Professor of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University[110]
Maggie Toulouse Oliver	B.A., M.A.	Secretary of State of New Mexico[111]
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend	JD 1978	Former lieutenant governor of Maryland; the eldest of Robert F. Kennedy's children[112]
Michael Trujillo	1966 (BS), 1967 (BA), MA (1970), MD (1974)	Native American physician and director of the Indian Health Service[113]
Tom Udall	JD 1977	U.S. congressman and senator representing New Mexico[114]
Brian Urlacher	2000	Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year[115]
Carol Jean Vigil		First Native American woman to be a state district judge in the U.S.[116]
Rodney Wallace	1970	Former NFL player and Super Bowl champion[117]
John Wertheim	JD 1995	Former member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee[118]
Cody Willard	1996	Fox Business Network anchor[119]