Notable Alumni of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Steve Bannon 1953–

Trump's first-term White House chief strategist

Bachelor's degree · Class of 1976

Also attended: Georgetown University, Harvard University

Chet Culver 1966–

41st Governor of Iowa

Also attended: Drake University

Father: John Culver (Harvard University)

Rob Wittman 1959–

U.S. representative from Virginia

Bachelor of Science · Class of 1981

Also attended: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Virginia Commonwealth University

Claude A. Swanson 1862–1939

Virginia Senator and Secretary of the Navy under FDR

Also attended: Randolph-Macon College, University of Virginia-Main Campus

William G. Boykin 1948–

Retired US Army lieutenant general, Delta Force veteran

Bachelor of Arts · English studies · Class of 1971

William Dodd 1869–1940

Historian and US Ambassador to Germany

Child: Martha Dodd (University of Chicago)

James Lindsay Almond, Jr. 1898–1986

Lawyer, judge and Democratic governor

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus

Erika McEntarfer 1973–

Former Commissioner of Labor Statistics

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 2002

Also attended: Bard College

Owen B. Pickett 1930–2010

U.S. Representative from Virginia

Bachelor of Science · Class of 1952

Also attended: University of Richmond

Hochen Tan 1950–

Former Taiwan transportation and communications minister

Dave Calhoun 1957–

Former president and CEO of Boeing

Regina E. Dugan 1963–

Businesswoman and first female DARPA director

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Robert Coleman Richardson 1937–2013

Physicist, 1996 Nobel laureate in Physics

Also attended: Duke University

Gladys West 1930–2026

Mathematician whose work contributed to GPS

Doctor of Philosophy · Public administration

Also attended: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, Virginia State University

Christopher C. Kraft 1924–2019

NASA engineer who helped establish mission control

Lewis Binford 1931–2011

Archaeologist who introduced processual archaeology

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Spouse: Sally Binford (University of Chicago, Vassar College)

Charles Camarda 1952–

NASA astronaut who flew on STS-114

Doctor of Philosophy · Aerospace engineering · Class of 1990

Also attended: George Washington University, New York University

William Alphonso Murrill 1869–1957

Botanist and mycologist

Also attended: Cornell University, Randolph-Macon College

Thomas DiLorenzo 1954–

Economist and President of the Mises Institute

Roger K. Crouch 1940–

Astronaut and NASA payload specialist

Also attended: Tennessee Technological University

Edward F. Moore 1925–2003

Professor and inventor of the Moore finite state machine

Also attended: Brown University

Robert Michelson 1951–

Engineer who invented the entomopter

Also attended: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

John Barron McKay 1922–1975

X-15 test pilot and astronaut

Jason Bond 2000–

Biologist and entomology professor at UC Davis

Also attended: Western Carolina University

Alexandre Arsène Girault 1884–1941

Entomologist specializing in chalcid wasps

Richard Lawrence Hoffman 1927–2012

Zoologist and international expert on millipedes

Also attended: Cornell University, University of Virginia-Main Campus

Wang Xiji 1921–2026

Aerospace engineer, chief designer of China's recoverable satellites

Jayma Mays 1979–

Actress known for Glee

Also attended: Radford University, Southwest Virginia Community College

Charlie Byrd 1925–1999

Jazz guitarist known for bossa nova

Michelle Krusiec 1974–

Actress, writer and producer

Collette Wolfe 1980–

American actress

Spouse: Jody Hill (University of North Carolina School of the Arts)

Homer Hickam 1943–

Author and former NASA engineer

Jess Cliffe 1981–

Video game designer, co-creator of Counter-Strike

Hoda Kotb 1964–

Former co-anchor of NBC's Today

Bachelor of Arts

Anthony Addabbo 1960–2016

American actor and model

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus

James Bell 1891–1973

Film and stage actor

Lauren Koslow 1953–

Actress known for Days of Our Lives

Also attended: University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Virginia State University

Azita Ghanizada 1979–

Afghan-American actress

Warona Setshwaelo 1977–

Botswanan actress and video editor

Bachelor's degree · Theater arts

Nickeil Alexander-Walker 1998–

Canadian NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks

Dell Curry 1964–

Former professional basketball player

Child: Wardell Stephen Curry II (Davidson College)

Child: Seth Curry (Duke University, Liberty University)

Kristi Castlin 1988–

Hurdler, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist

Malcolm Delaney 1989–

Former professional basketball player

Dorian Finney-Smith 1993–

NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks

Also attended: University of Florida

Erick Green 1991–

Basketball player, 2012–13 NCAA scoring leader

Bimbo Coles 1968–

Former NBA player and Olympic bronze medallist

Benjamin King 1989–

Former professional road racing cyclist

Jan Świtkowski 1994–

Polish butterfly swimmer, world championship bronze medalist

Also attended: University of Florida

Lisa Gunnarsson 1999–

Swedish pole vaulter

Also attended: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Jamon Gordon 1984–

Former professional basketball player

Jarell Eddie 1991–

Basketball player, formerly of the Wizards and Suns

Queen Harrison 1988–

Hurdler at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Spouse: Will Claye (University of Florida, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus)

Jim Miller 1983–

UFC lightweight mixed martial artist

Deron Washington 1985–

Former professional basketball player; played for Virginia Tech

Neil Gourley 1995–

Scottish middle-distance runner

Daniel Pereira 2000–

Venezuelan professional footballer, midfielder

Marcel Lomnický 1987–

Slovak hammer thrower

Ieva Kubliņa 1982–

Latvian women's basketball player

Allan Bristow 1951–

Former pro basketball player, coach and executive

Seung-Hui Cho 1984–2007

Perpetrator of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting

Nidal Hasan 1970–

Former Army major, 2009 Fort Hood shooter