Notable Alumni of SUNY Empire State College

Ginny Brown-Waite 1943–

U.S. Representative for Florida's 5th district, 2003–2011

Also attended: Russell Sage College, SUNY at Albany

Bernard Kerik 1955–2025

40th commissioner of the NYPD

Also attended: Harvard University

Steven McLaughlin 1963–

County Executive of Rensselaer County, New York

Also attended: Arizona State University-Tempe, Florida Institute of Technology

Robert Castelli 1949–2024

New York Assembly member and security consultant

Also attended: Harvard University

Gary Finch 1944–2023

Member of the New York State Assembly

Bachelor of Science · Class of 1989

Also attended: Cayuga County Community College

Mae Ngai 1951–

Historian and professor at Columbia University

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1992

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Alan Rachins 1942–2024

Actor known for L.A. Law and Dharma & Greg

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Julie Carmen 1954–

Actress, dancer and psychotherapist

Also attended: Antioch College

Kenny Barron 1943–

Jazz pianist and composer

Sarah Schulman 1958–

Novelist, playwright and AIDS historian

Elliott Murphy 1949–

Rock singer-songwriter and novelist

Also attended: Nassau Community College

Herb Trimpe 1939–2015

Comics artist known for The Incredible Hulk

Also attended: State University of New York at New Paltz, School of Visual Arts

Dola de Jong 1911–2003

Dutch-American writer, author of The Tree and the Vine

Dawoud Bey 1953–

Photographer, artist and MacArthur Fellow

Also attended: Yale University

Joan Maynard 1928–2006

Artist and preservationist of Weeksville

Bob Herbert 1945–

Journalist and former New York Times columnist

Amy Arbus 1954–

Photographer teaching portraiture at International Center of Photography

Sibling: Doon Arbus (Reed College)

Deborah Gregory 1950–

Author of The Cheetah Girls book series

Paula Heredia 1957–

Documentary filmmaker based in New York City

Also attended: New York University

Carl Potts 1952–

Comics artist and editor, creator of Alien Legion

Also attended: Chabot College

Bob Watson 1946–2020

Two-time MLB All-Star with the Houston Astros

Carol Leigh 1951–2022

Artist and sex workers' rights activist

Also attended: Boston University, Binghamton University

Miriam Weiner 1942–

Jewish genealogist, author and lecturer

Bachelor's degree · Holocaust studies, Jewish studies

Also attended: Orange Coast College, Drake University, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Patricia Banks-Edmiston 1937–

One of the first Black flight attendants