17 Notable alumni of
Grand Valley State University
Updated:
Grand Valley State University is 1923rd in the world, 660th in North America, and 621st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 17 notable alumni from Grand Valley State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Tony Ferguson
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighterBrazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner
- Biography
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Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer, and is the current MFB Middleweight Champion. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion A professional since 2008, and was signed to the UFC from his The Ultimate Fighter 13 win in 2011 until his departure in 2025. He is regarded as one of the greatest fighters to not gain an undisputed belt. He has trained in freestyle wrestling, boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and Wing Chun.
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Erion Veliaj
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Erion Veliaj is an Albanian politician who serves as the 42nd mayor of Tirana, the capital and largest city of Albania, from 2015.
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Thomas Remengesau Jr
- Years
- 1956-.. (age 70)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Thomas Esang "Tommy" Remengesau Jr. is a Palauan politician. He served as the Palauan president between 2001-2009 and 2013-2021. He served as a Senator in the Palau National Congress between his two administrations. In sum, Remengesau was elected Vice-President of Palau in 1992 and 1996, then president in 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2016.
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Mike Denbrock
- Occupations
- American football coach
- Biography
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Michael Fredrick Denbrock is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He has previously coached for the Stanford Cardinal, Washington Huskies, Cincinnati Bearcats, and LSU Tigers.
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John Beyrle
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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John Ross Beyrle is an American diplomat. A career Foreign Service Officer and specialist in Russian and Eastern European affairs, he served as Ambassador of the United States to the Russian Federation from July 3, 2008, until January 10, 2012, and as Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2005 to 2008.
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Brian Calley
- Occupations
- politicianbanker
- Biography
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Brian Nelson Calley is an American politician who served as the 63rd lieutenant governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously elected to the Michigan House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. He currently serves as president of the Michigan Small Business Association, and as a member of the board of trustees of Oakland University.
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Glenn Duffie Shriver
- Occupations
- spy
- Biography
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Glenn Duffie Shriver is an American convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage for China. At the behest of Chinese intelligence, Shriver unsuccessfully applied for jobs with the US State Department and CIA, meeting with handlers from China more than 20 times. He was first approached while living in China by operatives of the Shanghai State Security Bureau, a subsidiary of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), who hoped to develop a mole which would provide them information regarding American foreign policy. He was caught and arrested by the FBI soon after applying to a job with the CIA's National Clandestine Service. In a 2010 plea bargain, he pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit unlawful conveyance of national defense information, and served four years in prison at the Federal Correctional Institution in Elkton, Ohio. He was released in 2013, and was later depicted in the short film Game of Pawns, commissioned by the FBI.
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Kyra Harris Bolden
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kyra Harris Bolden is an American judge, politician, and civil litigation attorney. She has served as an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court since January 1, 2023. Bolden was a Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives for the 35th district from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2023.
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Matt Thornton
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Matthew J. Thornton, is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Born in Three Rivers, Michigan he grew up and attended high school in Centreville. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and San Diego Padres. Thornton is second all-time in American League history in holds (182).
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John Keating
- Occupations
- athlete
- Biography
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John Keating is an American former sportscaster.
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Tim Lelito
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Tim Scott Lelito is an American former professional football offensive guard. He played college football at Grand Valley State University.
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Nick McDonald
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Nicholas James McDonald is an American former professional football center. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2010. In that year, he won Super Bowl XLV with the team against the Pittsburgh Steelers. McDonald played college football at Grand Valley State University.
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Greg Cadaret
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Gregory James Cadaret is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 1998 for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Anaheim Angels, and Texas Rangers.
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Bo Biteman
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Dennis Dean "Bo" Biteman is an American politician and a Republican member of the Wyoming Senate representing District 21 since January 7, 2019. He previously served in the Wyoming House of Representatives representing District 51 from 2017 to 2019.
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Brandon Revenberg
- Occupations
- Canadian football player
- Biography
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Brandon Revenberg is a Canadian professional football offensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
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Lindsey Drager
- Years
- 1986-.. (age 40)
- Occupations
- writerprofessor
- Biography
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Lindsey Drager is an American author and professor of creative writing at the University of Utah.
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William Stage
- Occupations
- photographerjournalist
- Biography
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Wm. Stage, also known as William Stage is an American journalist, author, and photographer, with a focus on the area and history of the American Midwest and St. Louis, Missouri. From 1982 to 2004 he worked for the weekly newspaper The Riverfront Times, producing three columns, with the best known being Street Talk, where over the years he photographed and interviewed more than 8,500 random individuals about miscellaneous topics. He is also known for his documentary work on a special kind of historical outdoor advertising: vintage brick wall signs. As of 2025, he has authored 16 books, a combination of photography, non-fiction, and fiction. His photographs have appeared in multiple works, including the cover photograph on the Oxford University Press book, For the Common Good (2002). In 2001, Stage, who had been adopted as an infant, tracked down his biological family, a search which led to a Canadian television documentary and formed the basis for his 2009 memoir Fool for Life.
