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60 notable alumni U.S. News #137

Notable Alumni of James Madison University

Notable alumni of James Madison University include Jim Acosta (Broadcast journalist, former CNN chief White House correspondent), Reshma Shetty (Actress known for Royal Pains) and Nana Ama McBrown (Ghanaian actress and TV host).

Alumni list

Politics and law

  • Levar Stoney 1981–

    Former mayor of Richmond, Virginia

  • Jason Miyares 1976–

    48th attorney general of Virginia

    Also attended: College of William and Mary

  • Walter Shaub 1971–

    Former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics

    Also attended: American University

  • Laurie Buckhout 1961–

    Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy

    Also attended: Webster University

  • Kirk Cox 1957–

    Former Virginia House of Delegates Republican member

    Also attended: Richard Bland College

Business

Science and academia

Arts and media

  • Jim Acosta 1971–

    Broadcast journalist, former CNN chief White House correspondent

    Bachelor's degree · Communication studies, Political science · Class of 1993

  • Reshma Shetty 1977–

    Actress known for Royal Pains

    Also attended: University of Kentucky

    Spouse: Deep Katdare (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Nana Ama McBrown 1973–

    Ghanaian actress and TV host

  • Phil Vassar 1962–

    Country music singer-songwriter

  • Sarah Baker 1990–

    Actress known for The Kominsky Method

  • LeRoi Moore 1961–2008

    Saxophonist; founding member of Dave Matthews Band

  • Tony Schiavone 1957–

    Pro wrestling commentator and AEW producer

  • Christine Weston Chandler 1982–

    Cartoonist and internet personality

    Also attended: Piedmont Virginia Community College

  • Andrew York 1958–

    Grammy-winning classical guitarist and composer

    Also attended: University of Southern California

  • Glennon Doyle 1976–

    Author and activist, wrote Untamed

    Spouse: Abby Wambach (University of Florida)

  • Steve James 1954–

    Documentary director of Hoop Dreams

    Also attended: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

  • Butch Taylor 1961–

    Keyboardist and Dave Matthews Band guest musician

  • Keith Howland 1964–

    Former lead guitarist of the band Chicago

  • Meissa Hampton

    Independent film actress, writer and director

    Also attended: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CUNY Brooklyn College

  • Matt Bondurant 1971–

    Novelist, author of The Wettest County in the World

  • Barbara Hall 1960–

    TV writer and producer, creator of Judging Amy

  • Jon Pineda 1971–

    Poet, memoirist and novelist

    Also attended: Virginia Commonwealth University

  • Margaret Becker 1959–

    Christian rock singer and songwriter

  • Nelson Cragg 1978–

    American cinematographer and director

    Also attended: University of Southern California

  • Karen McCullah 1967–

    Screenwriter who co-wrote Legally Blonde

  • Lindsay Czarniak 1977–

    Sports anchor and reporter

    Spouse: Craig Melvin (Wofford College)

  • Alison Parker 1991–2015

    Television news presenter

    Also attended: Patrick & Henry Community College

  • Lawrence Jackson

    Photographer and former White House photographer

    Attended until 1990

Sports

  • Tamera Young 1986–

    Former WNBA player and Chicago Sky assistant coach

  • Carole Thate 1971–

    Former Dutch field hockey player

  • Jazmon Gwathmey 1993–

    Puerto Rican basketball player, formerly of Indiana Fever

  • Christina Julien 1988–

    Canadian women's soccer player

  • Charles Haley 1964–

    NFL player for the 49ers and Cowboys

  • Charles Cooke 1994–

    Former professional basketball player

  • Linton Townes 1959–

    Former professional basketball player

  • Nick Zimmerman 1987–

    Former soccer player, Florida Gators women's soccer coach

  • Tiombe Hurd 1973–

    Triple jumper, 2004 Olympian

  • Francisco Narbón 1995–

    Panamanian footballer

  • Sarah Mahboob Khan 1991–

    Pakistani tennis player

  • Kurt Morsink 1984–

    Former professional soccer player

  • Ben DiNucci 1996–

    Quarterback drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2020

    Also attended: University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

  • Dwayne Broyles 1982–

    Former professional basketball player in Europe

  • Joel Senior 1987–

    Former Jamaican professional footballer

    Also attended: Howard University

  • Kennard Winchester 1966–

    Former professional basketball player

    Also attended: Averett University

  • Nikola Budalić 1978–

    Retired Canadian soccer player, Inter Miami director of soccer operations

  • Rich Thompson 1979–

    Baseball outfielder for the Royals and Rays

  • Dan Meyer 1981–

    Former MLB pitcher

  • Manuel Ferriol 1998–

    Spanish footballer

  • Kevin Knight 1976–

    Former professional soccer defender

Other fields

  • weev 1985–

    Computer hacker and Internet troll

    Attended until 2000

  • Peter Gelderloos 1982–

    Anarchist activist and writer

From Wikidata “educated at” records (including people who attended without graduating), ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions. Degrees and years follow Wikidata and are left out where it has none.

Alumni network

Colleges that share the most alumni with James Madison University (people who attended both).