Notable Alumni of Mills College

Barbara Lee 1946–

Mayor of Oakland and former U.S. representative

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1973

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Dixy Lee Ray 1914–1994

17th governor of Washington and marine biologist

Attended until 1937

Also attended: Stanford University

Lateefah Simon 1977–

US representative for California's 12th district

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 2009

Also attended: University of San Francisco

Dina Kawar 1962–

Jordanian diplomat, ambassador to the United States

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Mary Brooks 1907–2002

Former Director of the United States Mint

Also attended: University of Idaho

March Fong Eu 1922–2017

Former California secretary of state

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Stanford University

Child: Matt Fong (Pepperdine University, Southwestern Law School)

April Glaspie 1942–

Diplomat known for events before the Gulf War

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University

Phillipe Cunningham 1982–

Former Minneapolis city council member

Also attended: DePaul University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Martha Fuller Clark 1942–

Former New Hampshire state senator

Also attended: Boston University

Christina Lee 1925–2022

Hong Kong entrepreneur and socialite

Melissa Farley 1942–

Clinical psychologist and anti-prostitution activist

Also attended: San Francisco State University, University of Iowa

Ananya Roy 1970–

UCLA professor of international development and urbanism

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Francoise Ulam 1918–2011

Mathematician, wife of Stanislaw Ulam

Also attended: Mount Holyoke College

Eleanor Hadley 1916–2007

Economist specializing in Japanese economics

Also attended: Harvard University

Li Lienfung 1923–2011

Singaporean chemist and bilingual writer

Also attended: Cornell University

Child: Ho Kwon Ping (Stanford University)

Marika Cifor 1986–

Archivist and associate professor at the University of Washington

Bachelor of Arts · Study of history, Political science

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Simmons University

Lisa Taraki 1948–

Palestinian sociologist at Birzeit University

Olivia de Havilland 1916–2020

Actress with 49 feature films

Sofia Coppola 1971–

Filmmaker and Academy Award winner

Also attended: California Institute of the Arts

Father: Francis Ford Coppola (University of California-Los Angeles, Hofstra University)

Mother: Eleanor Coppola (University of California-Los Angeles)

Dave Brubeck 1920–2012

Jazz pianist and composer

Also attended: University of the Pacific

Child: Darius Brubeck (Wesleyan University)

Sibling: Howard Brubeck (Northeastern University Oakland)

Laurie Anderson 1947–

Avant-garde artist and musician

Also attended: Barnard College, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Lou Reed (Syracuse University)

Steve Reich 1936–

Composer, pioneer of minimal music

Attended until 1963

Also attended: Cornell University, The Juilliard School

Joanna Newsom 1982–

Singer-songwriter and harpist

Spouse: Andy Samberg (University of California-Santa Cruz, New York University)

Daniella Pineda 1987–

Actress in two Jurassic Park franchise films

William Bolcom 1938–

Composer and pianist, Pulitzer Prize winner

Also attended: University of Washington-Seattle Campus, Stanford University

Trisha Brown 1936–2017

Choreographer, co-founder of Judson Dance Theater

Also attended: Bates College

Kathryn Harrold 1950–

Actress

Spouse: Lawrence O'Donnell (Harvard University)

Snatam Kaur 1972–

Singer-songwriter and peace activist

Beate Sirota Gordon 1923–2012

Performing arts producer and women's rights activist

Constance Money 1956–

Former adult film actress

Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner 1989–

Marshall Islands poet and climate activist

Also attended: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Mother: Hilda Heine (University of Southern California, University of Hawaii at Manoa)

Elizabeth Murray 1940–2007

Painter, printmaker and draughtsman

Attended until 1964

Also attended: School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Spouse: Bob Holman (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Dasha Nekrasova 1991–

Actress, filmmaker and podcast co-host

Michael Land 1961–

Video game composer known for LucasArts scores

Also attended: Harvard University

Emma Nevada 1859–1940

Operatic coloratura soprano

Diana L. Paxson 1943–

Writer of paganism and fantasy fiction

Jane Rule 1931–2007

Novelist known for lesbian-themed works

Ben Johnston 1926–2019

Composer known for his use of just intonation

Jennifer Bartlett 1941–2022

Artist and novelist known for conceptual paintings

Also attended: Yale University

Holly Herndon 1980–

Composer and artist based in Berlin

Also attended: Stanford University

Charmian London 1871–1955

Writer and second wife of Jack London

Spouse: Jack London (University of California-Berkeley)

Jade Snow Wong 1922–2006

Chinese American ceramic artist and memoirist

Nathan Oliveira 1928–2010

Painter, printmaker and sculptor

Also attended: California College of the Arts

Hormoz Farhat 1928–2021

Iranian-American composer and ethnomusicologist

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Todd Boekelheide 2000–

Composer and Academy Award-winning sound engineer

Liz Holzman 1953–2014

Film producer and director, three-time Emmy winner

Also attended: California Institute of the Arts

Mary Oliver 1956–

Jazz violinist and composer

Also attended: University of California-San Diego, San Francisco State University

Frances Baldwin 1907–1999

Painter from a pioneer California family

Also attended: San Francisco Art Institute

Esther Ballou 1915–1973

Composer, organist and music educator

Attended until 1938

Also attended: The Juilliard School, Bennington College

Eli Clare 1963–

Writer, activist, and educator

Also attended: Reed College, Goddard College

Helen Gilbert 1922–2002

Sculptor and art educator

Also attended: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Edith White 1855–1946

Painter known for roses and landscapes

Win Ng 1936–1991

Chinese American artist, co-founder of Taylor & Ng

Also attended: City College of San Francisco, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco State University

Aurora Levins Morales 1954–

Puerto Rican Jewish writer and poet

Wu Fei 1977–

Beijing-born guzheng performer and composer

Stacey Milbern 1987–2020

Disability justice activist

Master of Business Administration · Class of 2015

Also attended: Methodist University

Jiz Lee 1980–

Queer porn performer and industry rights advocate

Emma Kaili Metcalf Beckley Nakuina 1847–1929

Early Hawaiian female judge, curator and writer

Mia Satya 1995–

Community organizer and LGBT rights activist

Ann Russell Miller 1928–2021

Socialite who became a Carmelite nun

Dita Hopkins Kinney 1855–1921

First superintendent of the US Army Nurse Corps

Chiang Hsiao-chang 1936–

Daughter of Chiang Ching-kuo

Sibling: Chiang Hsiao-wen (University of California-Berkeley)

Sibling: Chiang Hsiao-yen (Georgetown University)