Notable Alumni

photo of brick pavers under alumni tower

At Wright State University, we measure our success by the success of our graduates, both in their own careers and in the people they have become. Our alumni have achieved various accomplishments around the world and in every career field, including politics, business, athletics, the arts, the military, and many more.

Wright State alumni are leaders in their fields; building on the education they received during their time on campus. We are proud to call these individuals Raiders.

The arts

Robert Pollard ’79, musician and founder, Guided By Voices
Eddie McClintock, actor
Brad Sherwood, actor and comedian
Tricia Small, actress and producer
Nicole Scherzinger, musician and TV personality

Politics

Joyce Beatty, member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Kevin DeWine, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
David Albright, founder of Institute for Science and International Security
Nan Whaley, mayor of Dayton, Ohio

Athletics

Joe Smith, professional baseball player (Houston Astros)
Vitaly Nikolaevich Potapenko, former NBA player and assistant coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers
William Allen "Bill" Edwards, former professional basketball player
Franklin Ray Lickliter II, professional golfer

Military

Deborah Loewer, retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral
John B. Ellington, Jr., Air National Guard General

Business

Ron Bahorst, former president of ING
Doug Cook, VP of Operations at FedEx

STEM

Jerome Pearson, scientist and president of STAR, Inc.
Siva S. Banda, aerospace engineer
Michael Reed Barratt, NASA astronaut
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Author and Novelist.