33 Notable alumni of
Oklahoma City University
Updated:
Oklahoma City University is 1246th in the world, 450th in North America, and 422nd in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 33 notable alumni from Oklahoma City 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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Kristin Chenoweth
- Occupations
- film actoractorcomposerautobiographerwriter
- Biography
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Kristin Dawn Chenoweth is an American actress and singer, with credits in musical theatre, film, and television. In 1999, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway. In 2003, Chenoweth received a second Tony Award nomination for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked. Her television roles include Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing and Olive Snook on the ABC comedy drama Pushing Daisies, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009. She also starred in the ABC TV series GCB in 2012, played Lavinia in Trial & Error in 2018, and played the characters Mildred Layton and Miss Codwell in the Apple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon! in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
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Chris Harrison
- Occupations
- presentertelevision presenter
- Biography
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Christopher Bryan Harrison is an American television and game show host, best known for his role as the host of the ABC reality television dating show The Bachelor from 2002 to 2021. He also hosted its spin-offs The Bachelorette from 2003 to 2021, Bachelor Pad from 2010 to 2012, Bachelor in Paradise from 2014 to 2021, the first season of Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise in 2015, Bachelor Live in 2016, and The Bachelor Winter Games in 2018. He also served as the host of the syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2015 to 2019.
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Lakshmi Manchu
- Occupations
- television actormodeltelevision produceractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna is an Indian actress, producer, and television presenter who works in Telugu cinema and worked in American television. The daughter of actor Mohan Babu, Manchu holds a bachelor's degree in theatre from Oklahoma City University. She has garnered the SIIMA Award, two Filmfare Awards South, and two State Nandi Awards.
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Cathy O'Donnell
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Cathy O'Donnell was an American actress who appeared in The Best Years of Our Lives, Ben-Hur, and films noir such as Detective Story and They Live by Night.
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Kelli O'Hara
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actoractorsinger
- Biography
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Kelli Christine O'Hara is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages.
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Buzz Williams
- Occupations
- basketball coach
- Biography
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Brent Langdon "Buzz" Williams is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at Texas A&M University. He previously served as head coach at Virginia Tech from 2014 to 2019, Marquette from 2008 to 2014, and New Orleans during the 2006–07 season, and as an assistant coach at Texas-Arlington, Texas A&M–Kingsville, Northwestern State, Colorado State, and Texas A&M.
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David L. Goldfein
- Enrolled in Oklahoma City University
- Graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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David Lee Goldfein is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who last served as the 21st Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He previously served as the vice chief of staff of the Air Force and, prior to that, he served as the director of the Joint Staff, a position within the Joint Chiefs of Staff who assists the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Goldfein retired from the Air Force on October 1, 2020, after over 37 years of service.
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Mason Williams
- Occupations
- actorclassical guitaristsongwriterscreenwritermusician
- Biography
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Mason Douglas Williams is an American classical guitarist, composer, singer, writer, comedian, and poet, best known for his 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas" and for his work as a comedy writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live.
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Gabrielle Ruiz
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Gabrielle Ruiz is an American actress best known for playing the role of Valencia Perez on The CW musical comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Prior to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, she performed in several Broadway musicals.
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Michael D. Brown
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Michael DeWayne Brown is an American attorney, and former government official who served as the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 2003 to 2005. He joined FEMA as general counsel in 2001 and became deputy director the same year. Appointed in January 2003 by President George W. Bush to lead FEMA, Brown resigned in September 2005 following his controversial handling of Hurricane Katrina. Brown currently hosts a radio talk show on 630 KHOW in Denver, Colorado.
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Fred Tackett
- Occupations
- songwritermandolinistsingerguitaristtrumpeter
- Biography
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Fredrick O. Tackett is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known as a member of the band Little Feat.
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Lin Hsin-i
- Occupations
- politicianbusinessperson
- Biography
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Lin Hsin-i is a Taiwanese businessman and politician. He served in the Democratic Progressive Party administration as Minister of Economic Affairs between 2000 and 2002, then as Vice Premier between 2002 and 2004.
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Arsyadjuliandi Rachman
- Occupations
- politicianentrepreneur
- Biography
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Arsyadjuliandi Rachman is an Indonesian politician who is a member of the People's Representative Council and served as governor of Riau between 2016 and 2018. He was previously the province's vice-governor, although he acted in the governor's capacity following Annas Maamun's arrest in 2014.
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Mickey Edwards
- Occupations
- journalistpoliticianlawyer
- Biography
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Marvin Henry "Mickey" Edwards is an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Oklahoma's 5th congressional district from 1977 to 1993.
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Susan Powell
- Occupations
- beauty pageant contestantmodel
- Biography
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Susan Carol Powell is an American opera singer. A native of Elk City, Oklahoma, Powell began her career as a successful beauty pageant contestant, winning the Miss Oklahoma pageant in 1980 and proceeded to the Miss America crown for the year 1981. A coloratura soprano, she has performed in musical theater and on opera stages around the world. In 1993, Powell embarked on a new television career, becoming the co-host of Discovery Channel's Home Matters home and garden program in 1993.
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Shawntel Smith
- Occupations
- beauty pageant contestantmodel
- Biography
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Shawntel Smith Wuerch is an American beauty pageant contestant, who was Miss America in 1996. She was born in Muldrow, Oklahoma. She attended Oklahoma City University.
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Chris Merritt
- Occupations
- performing artistopera singermusician
- Biography
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Chris Merritt is an American tenor.
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Johnston Murray
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Johnston Murray was an American lawyer, politician, and the 14th governor of Oklahoma from 1951 to 1955. He was a member of the Democratic Party. In 1956, Murray switched parties and joined the Republican Party.
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Jane Anne Jayroe
- Occupations
- journalistbeauty pageant contestantmodelpolitician
- Biography
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Jane Anne Jayroe-Gamble is an American broadcaster, author, public official and former beauty queen from Laverne, Oklahoma, who was Miss Oklahoma in 1966 and Miss America in 1967. Jayroe worked as an anchor in TV news in Oklahoma City and Dallas-Fort Worth broadcast media markets for 16 years. Later, Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating appointed her to serve as his Secretary of Tourism and Recreation in his Cabinet. She served in that position from 1999 until 2003. Jayroe has authored numerous articles and books and was spokesman for The Presbyterian Health Foundation.
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Ernest Istook
- Occupations
- journalistlawyerpoliticiandirector
- Biography
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Ernest James "Ernie" Istook Jr. is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. He held his congressional seat for 14 years, completing seven terms in the House. Currently, Istook is a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and also a talk radio host. In 2010, Istook became a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School leading a study on Propaganda in American Politics.
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Steven T. Kuykendall
- Enrolled in Oklahoma City University
- In 1968 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Steven T. Kuykendall was an American politician and Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 36th congressional district from 1999 to 2001 in the 106th Congress. He defeated Democrat Janice Hahn in the 1998 election with 49% of the vote. He was narrowly defeated for re-election in 2000 by his predecessor Jane Harman, who had relinquished her seat to run for Governor in 1998. Kuykendall was the only freshman congressman to be defeated for re-election in 2000.
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Enoch Kelly Haney
- Occupations
- painterChristian ministerpolitician
- Biography
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Enoch Kelly Haney was an American politician and internationally recognized Seminole/Muscogee artist from Oklahoma, He served as principal chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma from 2005 until 2009 and previously served as a member of both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature. He created a bronze statue that sits atop the Oklahoma State Capitol, called The Guardian. Another statue he created is located at the Chickasaw Nation headquarters in Ada, Oklahoma.
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Hugh Taylor
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Hugh Wilson "Bones" Taylor was an American professional football player and coach. He played as an end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. Taylor attended Tulane University at the start of World War II where he was a Navy V-12 student. At Tulane he was an All-Southeastern Conference and All-American basketball player in 1943. After being discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1946, he played college football at Oklahoma City College before entering the NFL in 1947. In his first NFL game, he gained 212 yards receiving, setting league records for an NFL debut and first game of the season. Those records were broken by Anquan Boldin in 2003 and Frank Clarke in 1962, respectively. As a member of the Redskins from 1947 to 1954, the 6-foot-4-inch Taylor made the Pro Bowl in 1952 and 1954.
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Robert J. Skinner
- Enrolled in Oklahoma City University
- Graduated with Master of Science in computer science
- Occupations
- military leader
- Biography
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Robert J. Skinner is a United States Air Force lieutenant general currently serving as the Director of Defense Information Systems Agency. Before, he directed Command, Control, Communications, and Cyber of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. Prior to that, he was the commander of the Twenty-Fourth Air Force. He was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed as the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency in 2021, replacing Vice Admiral Nancy A. Norton.
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J.B. Adams
- Occupations
- actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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J.B. Adams is an American character stage and film actor, director, and singer. He has credits in film, television and, most notably, musical theatre. Originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he attended Oklahoma City University, where he studied voice, piano, opera, and musical theatre, after which he became a New York City-based Broadway actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Broadway productions of Beauty and the Beast (as Maurice, the father), Annie, Parade (as Luther Rosser), Me and My Girl (as Sir Jasper), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (as Grandpa Potts), and Elf: The Musical (as Santa). He played the role of Morris Farnsworth in the film Far From Heaven, as well as originating the same role in the Off-Broadway musical adaptation (2013). On TV and the web, he has played Santa for Verizon FiOS and has had guest starring roles on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Michael J. Fox Show.
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Hub Reed
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Hubert F. "Hub" Reed is an American former professional basketball player born in Harrah, Oklahoma.
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Joe Bisenius
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Joseph Richard Bisenius is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current area scout for the Minnesota Twins. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals.
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Domingo DeGrazia
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Domingo DeGrazia is an attorney from the Southwest United States. He practices appellate law, is a guitarist and music composer, and former member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 10 from 2019 to 2023. DeGrazia was elected in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican State Representative Todd Clodfelter. DeGrazia is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians through his mother. DeGrazia's father is Southwestern artist Ettore DeGrazia.
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Chris Schroder
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Christopher Keith Schroder is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He attended Oklahoma City University. Bob Carpenter coined him one of the 'er boys' along with Chris Booker and Ryan Wagner.
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Arnold Short
- Occupations
- baseball playerbasketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Arnold Short was an American basketball player. A 6'3 guard, he was an All-American college player at Oklahoma City University and a second round pick in the 1954 NBA draft.
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Eugene L. Tattini
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Eugene L. Tattini is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and served as deputy director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from July 2001 to September 2013.
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Carol Hansen
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
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Carol M. Hansen was a judge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, the intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma. Educated at the Oklahoma City University of Law after raising five children, she became a municipal judge in 1993. She was appointed marshal for the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1984, then appointed as a justice of the Oklahoma Court of Appeals in 1985. She became the first woman to serve as Chief Judge in any Oklahoma appellate court. She resigned from the court in 2012, because health problems were causing her to lose her eyesight.
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Hal Hilpirt
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Hal Hilpirt was an American football end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals and the Cincinnati Football Reds. He played college football for the Oklahoma City Goldbugs. He was part of the beginnings of the modern era of American professional football.
