33 Notable alumni of
North Carolina A&T State University
Updated:
North Carolina A&T State University is 1416th in the world, 500th in North America, and 469th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 33 notable alumni from North Carolina A&T State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
-
Taraji P. Henson
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actoractorsinger
- Biography
-
Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards.
-
J. R. Smith
- Enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University
- Studied in 2021
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Earl Joseph "J. R." Smith III is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball at New Jersey basketball powerhouse Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark. He entered the NBA out of high school after being selected in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft with the 18th overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets. He has also played for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, as well as for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Smith won two NBA championships, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
-
Jesse Jackson
- Occupations
- civil rights advocatehuman rights activistpastorpolitician
- Biography
-
Jesse Louis Jackson is an American civil rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a young protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, Jackson maintained his status as a prominent civil rights leader throughout his political and theological career for over seven decades. He served in the United States Senate from 1991 to 1997 as a shadow delegate for the District of Columbia. Jackson is the father of former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and current U.S. Representative Jonathan Jackson.
-
Ronald McNair
- Enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University
- In 1971 graduated with Bachelor of Science in engineering physics
- Occupations
- physicistastronautsaxophonistkarateka
- Biography
-
Ronald Erwin McNair was an American NASA astronaut and physicist. He died at the age of 35 during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, in which he was serving as one of three mission specialists in a crew of seven.
-
Bob Beamon
- Occupations
- athletics competitorbasketball player
- Biography
-
Robert Beamon is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. By jumping 8.90 m ( 29 ft 2+1⁄4 in), he broke the existing record by a margin of 55 cm (21+3⁄4 in) and his world record stood for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell. The jump is still the Olympic record and the second-longest in history unassisted by wind.
-
Terrence J
- Occupations
- actormodel
- Biography
-
Terrence Jenkins is an American actor, television presenter, model and entertainment reporter best known as the host of BET's popular music video countdown show 106 & Park from 2006 until 2012. He was the co-anchor of E! News from 2012 until 2015.
-
Jesse Jackson Jr
- Enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University
- In 1987 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politicianlawyertaekwondo athlete
- Biography
-
Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 2nd congressional district from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of activist and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson and, prior to his career in elected office, worked for his father in both the elder Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign and his social justice, civil rights and political activism organization, Operation PUSH. Jackson's wife, Sandi Jackson, served on the Chicago City Council. He served as a national co-chairman of the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign. Jackson established a consistent liberal record on both social and fiscal issues, and he has co-authored books on civil rights and personal finance.
-
Michael S. Regan
- Enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University
- In 1998 graduated with Bachelor of Science in environmental science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Michael Stanley Regan is an American environmental regulator. He has been serving as the 16th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency since March 11, 2021. He is the first African American man to serve in the role.
-
Percy Watson
- Occupations
- professional wrestlerplayer of American footballamateur wrestler
- Biography
-
Nicholas Christopher McNeil, better known by his ring name Percy Watson, is an American professional wrestler, commentator, and former professional football player. He is best known for his time with WWE as an in-ring performer and later as a commentator on NXT, 205 Live, and WWE Main Event.
-
Alma Adams
- Enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University
- In 1968 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- In 1972 graduated with Master of Science
- Occupations
- politicianartist
- Biography
-
Alma Shealey Adams is an American politician who represents North Carolina's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. A Democrat, Adams represented the state's 58th House district in Guilford County in the North Carolina General Assembly from her appointment in April 1994 until her election to Congress, succeeded by Ralph C. Johnson. A college administrator and art professor from Greensboro, Adams is known for her many distinctive hats (she claims to own 900). She won the 2014 special election in North Carolina's 12th congressional district to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mel Watt, becoming the 100th woman serving in the 113th Congress. She won election to a full two-year term at the same time.
-
Edolphus Towns
- Enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University
- In 1956 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politicianteacher
- Biography
-
Edolphus "Ed" Towns Jr. is an American educator, military veteran, and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2013. A Democrat from New York, Towns was Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee from 2009 to 2011.
-
Joseph McNeil
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
-
Joseph Alfred McNeil is a retired major general in the United States Air Force who is best known for being a member of the Greensboro Four—a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, challenging the store's policy of denying service to non-white customers.
-
Franklin McCain
- Occupations
- activist
- Biography
-
Franklin Eugene McCain was an American civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four. McCain, along with fellow North Carolina A&T State University students Ezell Blair Jr., Joseph McNeil and David Richmond, staged a sit-in protest at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960, after they were refused service due to the color of their skin. Their actions were credited with launching the Greensboro sit-ins, a massive protest across state lines involving mostly students who took a stand against discrimination in restaurants and stores by refusing to leave when service was denied to them. The sit-ins successfully brought about the reversal of Woolworth's policy of racial segregation in their southern stores, and increased national sentiment to the fight of African-Americans in the south.
-
David Richmond
- Biography
-
David Leinail Richmond was a civil rights activist for most of his life, but he was best known for being one of the Greensboro Four. Richmond was a student at North Carolina A&T during the time of the Greensboro protests, but never ended up graduating from A&T. He felt pressure from the residual celebrity of being one of the Greensboro Four; his life was threatened in Greensboro and he was forced to move to Franklin, NC. Eventually, he moved back to Greensboro to take care of his father. Richmond was awarded the Levi Coffin Award for leadership in human rights by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce in 1980. Richmond seemed to be haunted by the fact that he could not do more to improve his world, and battled alcoholism and depression. He died in 1990 and was awarded a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from North Carolina A&T
-
Jonathan Jackson
- Occupations
- civil rights advocateacademicpoliticianbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Jonathan Luther Jackson is an American politician, businessman, and activist serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 1st congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously the national spokesman for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a financial analyst, and a partner in the Chicago-based beer distributorship River North Sales and Service.
-
Patrick Cannon
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Patrick DeAngelo Cannon is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served on the City Council of Charlotte, North Carolina from 1994 through 2013 and was subsequently elected the city's 56th Mayor in November 2013. On March 26, 2014, Cannon was arrested on charges of accepting over $48,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen wanting to work with the city. Cannon resigned as mayor later that evening, and was later sentenced to 44 months in prison.
-
Johnnie B. Rawlinson
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
-
Johnnie Blakeney Rawlinson is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.
-
Hugh Evans
- Occupations
- baseball playerbasketball officialbasketball player
- Biography
-
Hubert "Hugh" Evans was an American basketball referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 28 seasons. He worked 1,969 regular season NBA games and 35 NBA Finals games during his NBA officiating career from 1972 to 2001. He subsequently served as an assistant supervisor of officials in the NBA front office.
-
John Mack
- Occupations
- activist
- Biography
-
John Wesley Mack was an American activist in the civil rights movement. He was the executive director of the National Urban League chapter in Flint, Michigan, from 1964 to 1969. He served as the president of its Los Angeles chapter from 1969 to 2005, and as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners from 2005 to 2013. He was an advocate for equal opportunities in education, law enforcement and economic empowerment for blacks and other minorities.
-
Al Holland
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Alfred Willis Holland is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, and New York Yankees, from 1977 to 1987.
-
Harold L. Martin
- Occupations
- engineer
- Biography
-
Harold L. Martin Sr. is an American engineer, educator, former chancellor of Winston-Salem State and current chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He is the first alumnus in the history of North Carolina A&T to hold the position of Chancellor. Under his leadership, N.C. A&T has become the nation's largest historically black university (HBCU), its top-ranked public HBCU and North Carolina's third most productive public research university. It has also increased its standing as a land-grant institution and doctoral research university.
-
Henry Frye
- Occupations
- lawyerjournalistpoliticianjudgelegislator
- Biography
-
Henry E. Frye is an American judge and politician who served as the first African-American chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
-
Jake Wheatley
- Years
- 1971-.. (age 53)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Jake Wheatley Jr. is an American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 19th district, covering the Hill District, North Side, South Side, Allentown, Hazelwood, Downtown Pittsburgh, The Bluff, Knoxville, Beltzhoover, Manchester, Arlington, Arlington Heights, and North, South and West Oakland.
-
John A. Houston
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
-
John Allen Houston is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
-
Randolph Blackwell
- Occupations
- educator
- Biography
-
Randolph T. Blackwell was an American activist of the Civil Rights Movement, serving in Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, amongst other organizations. Coretta Scott King described him as an "unsung giant" of nonviolent social change.
-
Janeen Uzzell
- Born in
-
United States - Occupations
- engineer
- Biography
-
Janeen Uzzell is an American global technology executive and CEO of the National Society of Black Engineers.
-
Ralph C. Johnson
- Occupations
- politicianbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Ralph C. Johnson was an American politician and businessman.
-
Onzlee Ware
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Onzlee Ware was an American politician and judge. A Democrat, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2003. He formerly represented the 11th District, which is made up of part of the City of Roanoke. He also served as the Minority Caucus Sergeant at Arms.
-
Tyrone Jefferson
- Occupations
- musicianwind instrument playerrecord producercomposertrombonist
- Biography
-
Tyrone Jefferson is an American trombonist, composer, arranger and producer. Over the course of his career he has collaborated with acts such as James Brown, Public Enemy, LL Cool J and others.
-
Raheem Beyah
- Years
- 1976-.. (age 48)
- Enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University
- 1994-1998 graduated with Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering
- Occupations
- university teacherdeancomputer scientistcomputer engineersecurity hacker
- Biography
-
Raheem Beyah is an American computer engineer, researcher, and educator. As of January 15, 2021 he is the Dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to becoming the Dean, he was the vice president for Interdisciplinary Research and the Motorola Foundation Professor and the executive director of Georgia Tech's online masters in cyber security (OMS Cyber) program. Beyah is also the co-founder and chair of industrial security company Fortiphyd Logic, Inc.
-
Larry M. Bell
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Larry Moseley Bell Sr. is a former Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's twenty-first House district, including Sampson and Wayne counties. A retired school superintendent from Clinton, North Carolina, Bell started his first term in the State House in 2001. During a portion of his time in the legislature, he served as the majority whip. He did not run for re-election in 2018.
-
Michael G. Summers
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Michael G. Summers is a former State Delegate for District 47 in Prince George's County, Maryland, elected in 2010 and then defeated during the 2014 Democratic Primary. He was born in and he lived in Cheverly, Maryland.
-
Clara Leach Adams-Ender
- Occupations
- nurse
- Biography
-
Clara Adams-Ender is a retired United States Army officer who served as Chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps from September 1987 to August 1991. She was the first woman to receive her master's degree in military arts and sciences from the United States Army Command and General Staff College. She is also the first African-American nurse corps officer to graduate from the United States Army War College. When she retired, in 1993, she was serving as commanding officer of Fort Belvoir, in Fairfax County, Virginia. After retirement, in 2001 she published a memoir, My Rise to the Stars: How a Sharecropper's Daughter Became an Army General.