51 Notable alumni of
Claremont Graduate University

Updated:

EduRank

Claremont Graduate University is 1043rd in the world, 381st in North America, and 358th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 51 notable alumni from Claremont Graduate University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.

  1. Tom Cotton

    Tom Cotton
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1977-.. (age 48)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    Studied in 1998-1999
    Occupations
    politicianbusiness consultantlawyerfarmer
    Biography

    Thomas Bryant Cotton is an American politician and Army veteran serving since 2015 as the junior United States senator from Arkansas. A member of the Republican Party, he is the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and third-ranking Senate Republican. He also chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.

  2. Srettha Thavisin

    Srettha Thavisin
    Born in
    Thailand Flag Thailand
    Years
    1962-.. (age 63)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    Graduated with Master of Business Administration
    Occupations
    businesspersonpolitician
    Biography

    Srettha Thavisin MPCh MVM is a Thai businessman and former politician who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2023 until his dismissal from the position by the Constitutional Court on 14 August 2024. In 1988, he co-founded Sansiri, a venture that propelled him to become a billionaire and a leading real estate tycoon within his country.

  3. James Turrell

    James Turrell
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1943-.. (age 82)
    Occupations
    land artistpaintervisual artistarchitectural draftspersonenvironmental artist
    Biography

    James Turrell is an American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement. He is considered the "master of light" often creating art installations that mix natural light with artificial color through openings in ceilings thereby transforming internal spaces by ever shifting and changing color.

  4. Hashim Djojohadikusumo

    Hashim Djojohadikusumo
    Born in
    Indonesia Flag Indonesia
    Years
    1953-.. (age 72)
    Occupations
    entrepreneur
    Biography

    Hashim Sujono Djojohadikusumo is an Indonesian entrepreneur and politician who is the younger brother of Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto. In 2014, he was considered a billionaire. As of December 2020, Forbes estimates his net worth at $800 million.

  5. John C. Eastman

    John C. Eastman
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1960-.. (age 65)
    Occupations
    academic administratoracademicuniversity teacherpoliticianjurist
    Biography

    John Charles Eastman is an American lawyer and academic. He is known for his efforts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election and block the certification of Joe Biden's victory, for which he has been criminally indicted, ordered inactive by the State Bar of California, and recommended for disbarment. Eastman has lost eligibility to practice law in California state courts, pending his appeal of the state bar judge's ruling that recommended him for disbarment. Eastman is also named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment brought against Trump over his attempts to subvert the 2020 election results and prevent certification of Biden's election.

  6. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell

    Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
    Born in
    Ecuador Flag Ecuador
    Years
    1971-.. (age 54)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    1994-1996 graduated with Master of Arts in international political economy
    Occupations
    academic administratorpolitician
    Biography

    Deborah Mucarsel-Powell is an American politician and academic administrator who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 26th congressional district from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented a district in the southern Miami-Dade County, including Homestead and the Florida Keys.

  7. Abdulla Yameen

    Abdulla Yameen
    Born in
    Maldives Flag Maldives
    Years
    1959-.. (age 66)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018.

  8. Paul H. O'Neill

    Paul H. O'Neill
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1935-2020 (aged 85)
    Occupations
    businesspersonpolitician
    Biography

    Paul Henry O'Neill was an American businessman and government official who served as the 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury for part of President George W. Bush's first term, from January 2001 until his resignation in December 2002. Prior to his term as Secretary, O'Neill was chairman and CEO of industrial giant Alcoa and chairman of the RAND Corporation.

  9. Michael Anton

    Michael Anton
    Years
    1969-.. (age 56)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    Graduated with Master of Arts
    Occupations
    speechwriterpolitical scientist
    Biography

    Michael Anton is an American conservative essayist, speechwriter and former private-equity executive who is currently the director of policy planning in the second Trump administration since January 2025. Previously, he was a senior national security official in the first Trump administration. Under a pseudonym he wrote "The Flight 93 Election," an influential essay in support of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

  10. David Ray Griffin

    David Ray Griffin
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1939-2022 (aged 83)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    In 1970 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
    Occupations
    writertheologianphilosopher
    Biography

    David Ray Griffin was an American professor of philosophy of religion and theology and a 9/11 conspiracy theorist. Along with John B. Cobb, Jr., he founded the Center for Process Studies in 1973, a research center of Claremont School of Theology that promotes process thought. Griffin published numerous books about the September 11 attacks, claiming that elements of the Bush administration were involved. An advocate of the controlled demolition conspiracy theory, he was a founder member of Scholars for 9/11 Truth.

  11. Bhikkhu Bodhi

    Bhikkhu Bodhi
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1944-.. (age 81)
    Occupations
    bhikkhu
    Biography

    Bhikkhu Bodhi born Jeffrey Block, is an American Theravada Buddhist monk ordained in Sri Lanka. He teaches in the New York and New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Society and has edited and authored several publications grounded in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

  12. David Dreier

    David Dreier
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1952-.. (age 73)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    In 1976 graduated with Master of Arts
    Occupations
    businesspersonpolitician
    Biography

    David Timothy Dreier OAE is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California from 1981 to 2013. He was one of the youngest members ever elected to the United States Congress. Dreier was the youngest chairman of the House Rules Committee in U.S. history, serving from 1999 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2013. He was instrumental in passing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993. After leaving Congress, Dreier served on the Foreign Affairs Policy Board under President Barack Obama. He served as the chairman of the Tribune Publishing Company from 2019 to 2020. Dreier is also founder and chair of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation.

  13. John Long

    John Long
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1953-.. (age 72)
    Occupations
    mountaineer
    Biography

    John Long is an American rock climber and author. His stories have been translated into many languages.

  14. Jerry Voorhis

    Jerry Voorhis
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1901-1984 (aged 83)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Horace Jeremiah "Jerry" Voorhis was an American politician and educator from California who served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1947. A Democrat, he represented the 12th congressional district in Los Angeles County. He was the first political opponent of Richard M. Nixon, who defeated Voorhis for re-election in 1946 in a campaign cited as an example of Nixon's use of red-baiting during his political rise.

  15. David Keirsey

    David Keirsey
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1921-2013 (aged 92)
    Occupations
    university teacheracademicpsychologistnon-fiction writer
    Biography

    David West Keirsey was an American psychologist, a professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton, and the author of several books. In his most popular publications, Please Understand Me (1978, co-authored by Marilyn Bates) and the revised and expanded second volume Please Understand Me II (1998), he laid out a self-assessed personality questionnaire, known as the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, which links human behavioral patterns to four temperaments and sixteen character types. Both volumes of Please Understand Me contain the questionnaire for type evaluation with detailed portraits and a systematic treatment of descriptions of temperament traits and personality characteristics. With a focus on conflict management and cooperation, Keirsey specialized in family and partnership counseling and the coaching of children and adults.

  16. Ian Fowles

    Ian Fowles
    Years
    1979-.. (age 46)
    Occupations
    guitaristmusiciantelevision actor
    Biography

    Ian Fowles is an American musician, author, and actor, best known as the current guitarist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of EagleBones Falconhawk. Prior to joining The Aquabats, Fowles was also one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Death by Stereo.

  17. Gary Chartier

    Gary Chartier
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1966-.. (age 59)
    Occupations
    bloggerphilosopher
    Biography

    Gary William Chartier is a legal scholar, philosopher, political theorist, and theologian. His work addresses anarchism and ethics. Chartier is a professor and serves as associate dean of La Sierra University's business school.

  18. Diane Watson

    Diane Watson
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1933-.. (age 92)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    In 1987 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
    Occupations
    psychologistuniversity teacherpoliticiandiplomathealth administrator
    Biography

    Diane Edith Watson is a former American politician who served as US Representative for California's 33rd congressional district, serving from 2003 until 2011, after first being elected in the 32nd District in a 2001 special election. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located entirely in Los Angeles County and includes much of Central Los Angeles, as well as such wealthy neighborhoods as Los Feliz.

  19. William B. Allen

    William B. Allen
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1944-.. (age 81)
    Occupations
    philosopher
    Biography

    William Barclay Allen is an American author, professor, and political scientist from Fernandina Beach, Florida. He was a member of the National Council on the Humanities from 1984 to 1987 and chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1988 to 1989. Allen ran as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in California in 1986 and 1992, losing in the primary election each time. Allen has been described as a "conservative black leader in education."

  20. Philippe Maystadt

    Philippe Maystadt
    Born in
    Belgium Flag Belgium
    Years
    1948-2017 (aged 69)
    Occupations
    politicianbankerjuristlawyeruniversity teacher
    Biography

    Philippe M.P.J. Maystadt was a Belgian politician who served as Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Deputy Prime Minister. He was President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) from 2000 to 2011.

  21. Lewis Baltz

    Lewis Baltz
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1945-2014 (aged 69)
    Occupations
    photographer
    Biography

    Lewis "Duke" Baltz was an American visual artist, photographer, and educator. He was an important figure in the New Topographics movement of the late 1970s. His best known work was monochrome photography of suburban landscapes and industrial parks which highlighted his commentary of void within the "American Dream".

  22. Angelo Codevilla

    Angelo Codevilla
    Born in
    Italy Flag Italy
    Years
    1943-2021 (aged 78)
    Occupations
    politiciandiplomatpolitical scientist
    Biography

    Angelo Maria Codevilla was an American professor of international relations at what is now the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He served as a United States Navy officer, a foreign service officer, and professional staff member of the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate. Codevilla's books and articles range from French and Italian politics to the thoughts of Machiavelli and Montesquieu to arms control, war, the technology of ballistic missile defenses, and a broad range of international topics. Articles by Codevilla have appeared in Commentary, Foreign Affairs, National Review, and The New Republic. His op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator and The Washington Post. He has also been published in Political Science Reviewer, Intercollegiate Review, and Politica.

  23. Thomas Jay Oord

    Thomas Jay Oord
    Years
    1965-.. (age 60)
    Occupations
    philosophertheologian
    Biography

    Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and multidisciplinary scholar who directs doctoral programs in Open and Relational Theology at Northwind Theological Seminary and directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He formerly taught for sixteen years as a tenured professor at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho and as a philosophy professor at Eastern Nazarene College. Oord is the author or editor of more than thirty books and hundreds of articles. He is known for his contributions to research on love, open theism, process theism, open and relational theology, postmodernism, queer theology, the relationship between religion and science, Wesleyan, holiness, Nazarene theology.

  24. Ayanna Howard

    Ayanna Howard
    Years
    1972-.. (age 53)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    In 2005 graduated with Master of Business Administration
    Occupations
    roboticistartificial intelligence researchercomputer scientistengineer
    Biography

    Ayanna MacCalla Howard is an American roboticist, entrepreneur and educator currently serving as the dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University. Assuming the post in March 2021, Howard became the first woman to lead the Ohio State College of Engineering.

  25. Stephen Cambone

    Stephen Cambone
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1952-.. (age 73)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in political science
    Graduated with Master of Arts in political science
    Biography

    Stephen Anthony Cambone was the first United States Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, a post created in March 2003. Cambone first came to the attention of the public at large during the testimony of Major General Antonio Taguba before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, where he disputed the General's statement that prison guards were under the effective control of military intelligence personnel and interrogators. Cambone resigned at the beginning of 2007 and was replaced by James R. Clapper, Jr., former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Cambone was associated with the Project for the New American Century, participating in the study which resulted in the writing of the report Rebuilding America's Defenses.

  26. Monica A. Coleman

    Monica A. Coleman
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Occupations
    authortheologian
    Biography

    Monica A. Coleman is a contemporary theologian associated with process theology and womanist theology. She is currently Professor of Africana Studies and the John and Patricia Cochran Scholar for Inclusive Excellence at the University of Delaware, as well as the Faculty Co-Director Emerita for the Center for Process Studies. Her research interests include Whiteheadian metaphysics, constructive theology, philosophical theology, metaphorical theology, black and womanist theologies, African American religions, African traditional religions, theology and sexual and domestic violence, and mental health and theology. Coleman is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

  27. Sacvan Bercovitch

    Sacvan Bercovitch
    Born in
    Canada Flag Canada
    Years
    1933-2014 (aged 81)
    Occupations
    literary historianliterary critic
    Biography

    Sacvan Bercovitch was a Canadian literary and cultural critic who spent most of his life teaching and writing in the United States. During an academic career spanning five decades, he was considered to be one of the most influential and controversial figures of his generation in the emerging field of American studies.

  28. Yaou Aïssatou

    Yaou Aïssatou
    Born in
    Cameroon Flag Cameroon
    Years
    1951-.. (age 74)
    Occupations
    politicianhuman rights activisteconomistbusinessperson
    Biography

    Yaou Aïssatou is the Director General of Cameroon's National Investment Corporation (NIS). She was also Cameroon's first Minister of Women's Affairs.

  29. Greg Colson

    Greg Colson
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1956-.. (age 69)
    Occupations
    printmakerpainter
    Biography

    Greg Colson is an American artist known for his works and sculptures using scavenged materials.

  30. Lisa Adams

    Lisa Adams
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1955-.. (age 70)
    Occupations
    painter
    Biography

    Lisa Adams is an American painter who emerged in the mid-1980s. She is best known for her oil paintings of imaginary worlds that address both personal and collective realities. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is in the public collections of LACMA, Eli Broad (corporate collection), the Denver Art Museum, the San Jose Museum of Art, the USC Fisher Museum of Art, the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Edward F. Albee Foundation, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum and the Laguna Museum of Art. She lives and works in downtown Los Angeles, California.

  31. Damian Vaughn

    Damian Vaughn
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1975-.. (age 50)
    Occupations
    American football player
    Biography

    Damian Medeiros da Silva Vaughn is an American former professional football tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals (1998–2000) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001–2002). As the first Brazilian NFL player, Vaughn has made efforts to promote awareness and interest in American football among Brazilians, including a trip to Brazil with Tony Gonzalez in 2003. Following his career in football, Vaughn has remained active in the athletics world by founding the Vaughn Center, which offers meditation and leadership training for athletes.

  32. Harrison McIntosh

    Harrison McIntosh
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1914-2016 (aged 102)
    Occupations
    ceramicistartist
    Biography

    Harrison Edward McIntosh was an American ceramic artist. He was an exponent of the Mid-century Modern style of ceramics, featuring simple symmetrical forms. His work has been exhibited in venues in the United States including the Smithsonian and internationally including at the Louvre in France.

  33. Jack Scott

    Jack Scott
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1933-.. (age 92)
    Occupations
    teacherpolitician
    Biography

    Jack Alan Scott is an American educator and former Democratic politician. Currently, a scholar in residence at Claremont Graduate University, Scott earlier served as president at two California community colleges, member of the California State Assembly and California State Senate and Chancellor of the California Community Colleges System.

  34. John G. West

    John G. West
    Years
    1964-.. (age 61)
    Occupations
    political scientist
    Biography

    John G. West is a senior fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, and associate director and vice president for public policy and legal affairs of its Center for Science and Culture (CSC), which serves as the main hub of the Intelligent design movement.

  35. Jonathan D. Farrar

    Jonathan D. Farrar
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1956-.. (age 69)
    Occupations
    diplomat
    Biography

    Jonathan Don Farrar was the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama from 2012 to 2015. He was previously the Chief of Mission of the United States Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, from July 2008 to September 2011.

  36. Suzanne Muchnic

    Suzanne Muchnic
    Years
    1940-.. (age 85)
    Occupations
    opinion journalistart criticwriterjournalistart historian
    Biography

    Suzanne Muchnic is an art writer who was a staff art reporter and art critic at the Los Angeles Times for 31 years. She has also written books on artists, collectors, and museums.

  37. Kate Gale

    Kate Gale
    Years
    1965-.. (age 60)
    Occupations
    writerlibrettistpoet
    Biography

    Kate Gale is an American author, poet, librettist, and independent publisher. She is the publisher of Red Hen Press.

  38. Seth Leibsohn

    Seth Leibsohn
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1967-.. (age 58)
    Occupations
    radio personality
    Biography

    Seth Leibsohn is a conservative talk show host and author. He is also a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, and was the producer for Bill Bennett's Morning in America, a syndicated talk show in the 2000s. Most recently he was the co-host, along with Chris Buskirk, of the Phoenix-based talk show, The Seth and Chris Show. He resigned from the show in order to run for the House Seat vacated by Kyrsten Sinema. However, when the consulting group his campaign hired to spearhead the campaign failed to collect the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot, he was forced to withdraw from the race. Currently he hosts The Seth Leibsohn Show on KKNT in Phoenix.

  39. Armen Orujyan

    Armen Orujyan
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Occupations
    politicianscientist
    Biography

    Armen Orujyan is an Armenian-American entrepreneur and an architect of innovation ecosystems. He is the founding CEO of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) and the founder and former chairman of Athgo.

  40. Jack Cuzick

    Jack Cuzick
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1948-.. (age 77)
    Occupations
    mathematicianepidemiologist
    Biography

    Sir Jack Martin Cuzick is an American-born British academic, director of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London and head of the Centre for Cancer Prevention. He is the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology at the Wolfson Institute, Queen Mary University of London.

  41. Ronald F. Lehman

    Ronald F. Lehman
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1946-.. (age 79)
    Enrolled in Claremont Graduate University
    Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
    Graduated with Master of Arts
    Occupations
    scholar
    Biography

    Ronald Frank Lehman II is currently Director of the Center for Global Security Research at the United States Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He is also Chair of the Governing Board of International Science and Technology Center, an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Moscow and is a member of the Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee.

  42. Tasha Boerner Horvath

    Tasha Boerner Horvath
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1973-.. (age 52)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Tasha Nicolle Boerner is an American politician who is serving in the California State Assembly. A Democrat, she represents the 77th Assembly District, which encompasses coastal parts of northern San Diego County and the city of San Diego, including Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, and the coastal communities of La Jolla south to Downtown and Coronado. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, she served on the Encinitas City Council.

  43. Susan Orr

    Susan Orr
    Years
    1960-.. (age 65)
    Biography

    Susan Orr headed the United States Children's Bureau, a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Children and Families, as Associate Commissioner.

  44. Ferne Jacobs

    Ferne Jacobs
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1942-.. (age 83)
    Occupations
    artisttextile artist
    Biography

    Ferne Jacobs, who is also known as Ferne K. Jacobs and Ferne Kent Jacobs is an American fiber artist and basket maker.

  45. Jean Maria Arrigo

    Jean Maria Arrigo
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1944-2024 (aged 80)
    Occupations
    psychologist
    Biography

    Jean Maria Arrigo was an American social psychologist and oral historian.

  46. Luis Aguilar-Monsalve

    Luis Aguilar-Monsalve
    Born in
    Ecuador Flag Ecuador
    Years
    1942-.. (age 83)
    Occupations
    novelist
    Biography

    Luis Aguilar Monsalve is an Ecuadorian writer, critic, and professor emeritus at Hanover College in the United States.

  47. James Brenneman

    James Brenneman
    Biography

    James E. Brenneman is the president of Berkeley School of Theology, Berkeley, CA, one of the founding seminaries of the Graduate Theological Union. Prior to coming to Berkeley School of Theology in 2017, Jim was the sixteenth president of Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana from 2006 to 2017.

  48. Mark Li

    Mark Li
    Years
    1955-.. (age 70)
    Occupations
    businessperson
    Biography

    Mark Li is a Taiwanese politician. A member of the Kuomintang, he served in the Legislative Yuan from 2008 to 2012.

  49. Laura Myntti

    Laura Myntti
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1962-.. (age 63)
    Occupations
    painter
    Biography

    Laura Myntti is an American artist known for her paintings, etchings, and in situ drawings; she also works with found objects, mosaics, and photo collage.

  50. Benjamin Saltman

    Benjamin Saltman
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1927-1999 (aged 72)
    Occupations
    poet
    Biography

    Benjamin Saltman was an American poet and Professor of verse writing and contemporary American literature at California State University, Northridge. The Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award is given annually by Red Hen Press in his honor.

  51. Eugene S. Mills

    Eugene S. Mills
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1924-2020 (aged 96)
    Occupations
    writer
    Biography

    Eugene Sumner Mills was an American academic. He was the thirteenth President of the University of New Hampshire from 1974 to 1979. Mills attended Earlham College and Claremont Graduate University, earning a Ph.D. in psychology at the latter. He taught at Whittier College before coming to the University of New Hampshire. Mills was a member of the UNH faculty for 17 years starting in 1962 as professor and chairman for the Department of Psychology, finishing up with his presidency. Mills then went on to serve as the president of Whittier College from 1979 to 1989, and interim president of Earlham College from 1996 to 1997.