100 Notable alumni of
University of California - Davis
Updated:
The University of California - Davis is 245th in the world, 105th in North America, and 100th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from the University of California - Davis sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Kimberly Guilfoyle
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- modellawyerjournalisttelevision personality
- Biography
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Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle is an American diplomat, media personality, and former prosecutor who has served as the United States ambassador to Greece since 2025. She served as an advisor and led the fundraising division of the Trump 2020 presidential campaign.
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Dian Fossey
- Occupations
- ecologistethologistwriteracademicbiologist
- Biography
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Dian Fossey was an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups from 1966 until her murder in 1985. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey. Gorillas in the Mist, a book published two years before her death, is Fossey's account of her scientific study of the gorillas at the Karisoke Research Center and prior career. It was adapted into a 1988 film of the same name.
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Hasan Minhaj
- Occupations
- screenwritertelevision actoractorcomedian
- Biography
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Hasan Minhaj is an American comedian and actor. Much of his comedy involves Indian culture and the modern American political landscape through the use of satire, observational comedy and dark comedy. His Netflix series Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, and two Webby Awards. In 2019, he was listed in Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
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Urijah Faber
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- 1999-2003 graduated with Bachelor of Applied Science in sociology of the family
- Occupations
- amateur wrestlerBrazilian jiu-jitsu practitionermixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
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Urijah Christopher Faber is an American former mixed martial artist and actor. He competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), having competed for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on three occasions (once for the interim title), and the featherweight division of the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), where is a former WEC featherweight champion. He is the founder of Team Alpha Male.
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Adam Duritz
- Occupations
- pianistsingersongwriter
- Biography
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Adam Fredric Duritz is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the rock band Counting Crows, for which he serves as a founding member and main composer. Since its founding in 1991, Counting Crows has sold over 20 million records, released seven studio albums that have been certified gold or platinum, and been nominated for two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.
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Mark Davis
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbusinessperson
- Biography
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Mark M Davis is an American businessman and sports franchise owner. He is the controlling owner and managing general partner of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and the owner of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). His father, Al Davis, was the principal owner of the Raiders from 1972 until his death in 2011. Upon his father's death, Davis and his mother, Carol, inherited ownership of the Raiders, with Mark taking over as operating head of the franchise. As of October 2024, his estimated net worth was $2.3 billion.
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London Breed
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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London Nicole Breed is an American politician who served as the 45th mayor of San Francisco from 2018 to 2025. She served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for District 5 from 2013 to 2018 and was the board's president from 2015 to 2018.
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Jackie Speier
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 1972 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Karen Lorraine Jacqueline Speier is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 14th congressional district, serving in Congress from 2008 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Speier represented much of the territory that her political mentor, Leo Ryan, represented.
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Kate Tsui
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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Kate Tsui Tsz-shan is a former Hong Kong actress, known for her work with Television Broadcasts Limited. She was crowned Miss Hong Kong in 2004. In December 2019, she announced her retirement from the entertainment industry, expressing plans to move to Europe and pursue further education.
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Andrew D. Huberman
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 2004 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherneuroscientistpodcaster
- Biography
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Andrew David Huberman is an American neuroscientist and podcaster. He is an associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has been the host of the popular health and science focused podcast Huberman Lab since 2021. He has drawn criticism from scientists for promoting dietary supplements and for making poorly evidenced health claims.
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Ryan Roslansky
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbusinessperson
- Biography
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Ryan Roslansky is an American entrepreneur who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of LinkedIn, a business-related social networking website, since June 2020. He started with LinkedIn in 2009 and was instrumental in the $1.5 billion acquisition of Lynda.com in 2015, the largest acquisition in LinkedIn's history at that time. In 2021, he was named to Forbes CEO Next list.
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Dhar Mann
- Occupations
- film screenwriterentrepreneurfilm producerYouTubertelevision actor
- Biography
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Dharminder "Dhar" Mann is an American entrepreneur and film producer. He is the founder of Dhar Mann Studios, a video production company that creates short scripted videos primarily distributed on platforms such as YouTube. The content is aimed at a young audience and often includes narratives with moral lessons conveyed through plot reversals. The studio produces and finances its content independently and reports a combined following of over 136 million across social media platforms as of July 2025.
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Danielle Spencer
- Occupations
- television actorveterinarianactorfilm actor
- Biography
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Danielle Louise Spencer was an American actress best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 until 1979. She reprised the role on the series' sequel, What's Happening Now!! After her acting career, Spencer became a veterinarian.
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Chris Petersen
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Christopher Scott Petersen is an American former college football coach. He was the head coach for eight seasons at Boise State University; Petersen guided the Broncos to two BCS bowl wins in the 2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowls. He is the first two-time winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, which he won in 2006 and 2009. Petersen also won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 2010. At the University of Washington, Petersen led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff in 2016, but fell to Alabama in the Peach Bowl. Petersen announced his resignation on December 2, 2019, effective after the team's bowl game.
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Mike Pondsmith
- Occupations
- graphic designervideo game designerteacherrole-playing game designer
- Biography
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Michael Alyn Pondsmith is an American roleplaying, board, and video game designer. He founded the publisher R. Talsorian Games in 1982, where he developed a majority of the company's role-playing game lines. Pondsmith is the author of several RPG lines, including Mekton, Cyberpunk (1988) and Castle Falkenstein (1994). He also contributed to the Forgotten Realms and Oriental Adventures lines of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, worked in various capacities on video games, and authored or co-created several board games. Pondsmith also worked as an instructor at the DigiPen Institute of Technology.
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Phil Bronstein
- Occupations
- journalisteditor
- Biography
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Phil Bronstein is an American journalist and editor. He serves as executive chair of the board for the Center for Investigative Reporting in Berkeley, California. He is best known for his work as a war correspondent and investigative journalist. In 1986, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the fall of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Later, he held leadership positions with the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, and Hearst Newspapers Corporation.
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Ilan Mitchell-Smith
- Occupations
- television actoractorballet dancer
- Biography
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Ilan Mitchell-Smith is an American academic and former actor, best known as a co-star of the film Weird Science (1985) and Andy McCalister in Superboy.
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Deborah Harkness
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 1994 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- writeruniversity teachernovelistbloggerexecutive producer
- Biography
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Deborah Harkness is an American scholar and novelist, best known as a historian and as the author of the All Souls Trilogy, which consists of The New York Times best-selling novel A Discovery of Witches and its sequels Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. Her latest book is The Black Bird Oracle, a sequel to the All Souls Trilogy.
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Cam
- Occupations
- singersongwriterlyricistcomposerrecording artist
- Biography
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Camaron Marvel Ochs, known professionally as Cam, is an American country music singer and songwriter. She began her career as a songwriter and has composed material for several artists including Beyoncé, Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus. In 2010, she released her debut studio album Heartforward on an independent record label. Signing with Sony Music Entertainment, she released her debut major label EP in March 2015, Welcome to Cam Country, followed by the studio album Untamed later that same year. Her third album was The Otherside, released on Triple Tigers in 2020. Her second single "Burning House" is her most commercially successful, peaking at the number two position on Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay. the song received widespread acclaim, including a Best Country Solo Performance nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards and a Triple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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Kuan Chung-ming
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 1984 graduated with master's degree
- Occupations
- writereconomistuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Kuan Chung-ming is a Taiwanese economist and econometrician. He was the last minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development from 2013 to 2014 and served as the first minister of the succeeding government agency, the National Development Council (NDC), from 2014 to 2015. He was formerly the President of National Taiwan University from 2019 to 2023 and is a Chair Professor in the Department of Finance of National Taiwan University.
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KevJumba
- Occupations
- singerYouTubercomedianactortelevision producer
- Biography
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Kevin Wu is an American monk and retired American YouTuber who was best known under his former username KevJumba. He is currently a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The San Francisco Chronicle's Jeff Yang has noted that Wu is not a comedian in the conventional sense but that by "just talking is, well, pretty hilarious" due to his deadpan vocal delivery, animated facial expressions and tendency toward unexpected digressions.
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Lauren Kate
- Occupations
- children's writernovelistwriter
- Biography
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Lauren Kate is an American author of adult and young adult fiction. She has published fourteen novels and one novella. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages, have sold more than eleven million copies worldwide, and have spent combined months on the New York Times Best Seller list.
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Anthony Swofford
- Occupations
- autobiographernovelistwriter
- Biography
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Anthony Swofford is an American writer and U.S. Marine veteran, best known for his 2003 book Jarhead, based heavily on his accounts of various situations encountered in the Persian Gulf War. This memoir was the basis of the 2005 film of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes.
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Martin Yan
- Occupations
- businesspersonchef
- Biography
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Martin Yan Man-daat is a Hong Kong-American chef and food writer. He has hosted his award-winning PBS-TV cooking show Yan Can Cook since 1982.
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Debbie Lee Carrington
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorstunt performer
- Biography
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Deborah Lee Carrington was an American actress and stuntwoman. Her best known movie roles include playing a Martian rebel in Total Recall, an Ewok in Return of the Jedi (and in subsequent TV movies) and an elf in The Polar Express.
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Natasha Halevi
- Occupations
- film directordirectoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Natasha Halevi is an American actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. She is known for creating and producing Give Me An A, a reproductive rights horror anthology, as well as directing the wraparound and a segment alongside 16 other female directors of the film. She is a founding director with Fatale Collective, creators of the horror anthology Fatale Collective: Bleed. Her directorial work has been released by XYZ Films, Crypt TV, Midnight Pulp and Screambox. She is known for her acting roles as Anaconda in Kansas Bowling's B.C. Butcher released by Troma, the role of Eliza Taylor's best friend in I'll Be Watching, Cara in Lunch Break Feminist Club, and Alexis Shine in They Want Dick Dickster.
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Thomas J. Tierney
- Occupations
- writermanager
- Biography
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Thomas J. Tierney is an American business executive and corporate writer, who is the co-founder of the nonprofit Bridgespan Group that provides management consulting to nonprofits and philanthropists. He was chairman of eBay from July 2015 to June 2020.
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Dennis Banks
- Occupations
- film actoractoractivist
- Biography
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Dennis J. Banks was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urban Indians. He was a pre-eminent spokesman for Native Americans. His protests won government concessions and created national attention and sympathy for the oppression and endemic social and economic conditions for Native Americans.
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T. J. Shorts
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Timothy Neocartes "T. J." Shorts II is an American-born naturalized North Macedonian professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), Shorts plays at the point guard position.
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Marek Vašut
- Occupations
- photographerchild actorgraphic artistfilm actorstage actor
- Biography
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Marek Vašut is a Czech film, stage, and television actor, best known for his appearances in Solomon Kane and Blade II. He voiced the character Tommy Angelo for the Czech version of the video game Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. Vašut later reprised his role as Tommy in the 2020 remake Mafia: Definitive Edition. He also portrays Otto von Bergow in the single-player RPG game Kingdom Come Deliverance II.
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Jimmy Panetta
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 1991 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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James Varni Panetta is an American lawyer, politician, and former Navy intelligence officer from the state of California. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the U.S. representative for California's 19th congressional district. From north to south, the northernmost district includes southeast San Jose, continuing southbound, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and finally far inland to just one city in San Luis Obispo County, Paso Robles which is correctly part of California's "Central Coast" region. Panetta was first elected in 2016, after working as a deputy district attorney for Monterey County. He is the son of former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and represents the same geographical region his father once represented in Congress.
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Michael Anton
- Years
- 1969-.. (age 57)
- Occupations
- speechwriterpolitical scientist
- Biography
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Michael Anton is a conservative writer and bureaucrat.
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J. T. O'Sullivan
- Occupations
- Canadian football playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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John Thomas O'Sullivan is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), two seasons in NFL Europe and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the UC Davis Aggies of the University of California, Davis, where he was a three-year starter and threw for career totals of 10,745 yards and 96 touchdowns. He was named a first-team All-American in 2000 and a second-team All-American in 2001. He was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Tracy Caldwell Dyson
- Occupations
- chemistastronautphysicist
- Biography
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Tracy Caldwell Dyson is an American chemist and NASA astronaut. She was a mission specialist on Space Shuttle Endeavour flight STS-118 in August 2007 and has participated in two long-duration missions to the International Space Station, Expedition 23 and 24 from April to September 2010 and Expedition 70 and 71 from March to September 2024. She has completed four spacewalks, logging nearly 24 hours of extravehicular activity.
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Kaveh Madani
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in civil engineering and environmental engineering
- Occupations
- environmentalistengineerenvironmental scientist
- Biography
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Kaveh Madani is a scientist, activist, and former Iranian politician. He previously served as the Deputy Head of Iran's Department of Environment (also Iran's Deputy Vice President). He also served as the Vice President of the United Nations Environmental Assembly Bureau from 2017 to 2018.
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Elaine Showalter
- Occupations
- literary criticuniversity teacherwriterjournalistsociologist
- Biography
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Elaine Showalter is an American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues. She influenced feminist literary criticism in the United States academia, developing the concept and practice of gynocritics, a term describing the study of "women as writers".
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Tareq Salahi
- Occupations
- polo player
- Biography
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Tareq Dirgham Salahi is an American man who became known for attending a White House state dinner as an uninvited guest in 2009. Salahi has appeared in two reality-television shows: Where the Elite Meet, and NBC Universal/Bravo's The Real Housewives of D.C.
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Peter Snell
- Occupations
- athletics competitormiddle-distance runner
- Biography
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Sir Peter George Snell KNZM OBE was a New Zealand middle-distance runner. He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964.
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Rolf Benirschke
- Occupations
- television presenterAmerican football player
- Biography
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Rolf Joachim Benirschke is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1977 until 1986. He is probably most known for missing a potential 27-yard game-winning field goal in overtime of the playoff game known as the "Epic in Miami” but then getting a second chance and connecting from 29 yards fourteen minutes into overtime to win the game on January 2, 1982.
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Charles Burns
- Occupations
- cartoonistfilm directorcomics artistnovelistvisual artist
- Biography
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Charles Burns is an American cartoonist and illustrator. His early work was published in a Sub Pop fanzine, and he achieved prominence in the early issues of RAW. His graphic novel Black Hole won the Harvey Award.
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Nadine Burke Harris
- Occupations
- physician
- Biography
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Nadine Burke Harris is a Canadian-American pediatrician who was the Surgeon General of California between 2019 and 2022; she is the first person appointed to that position. She is known for linking adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress with harmful effects to health later in life. Hailed as a pioneer in the treatment of toxic stress, she is an advisory council member for the Clinton Foundation's "Too Small to Fail" campaign, and the founder and former chief executive officer of the Center for Youth Wellness. Her work was also featured in Paul Tough's book How Children Succeed.
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Mari Elka Pangestu
- Occupations
- university teachereconomistpolitician
- Biography
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Mari Elka Pangestu, who is currently serving as the Indonesian President's Special Advisor for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation, appointed by President Prabowo Subianto on 21 October 2024. In early November 2024, she is appointed by President Prabowo Subianto as the Vice Chair of the National Economic Council of the Republic of Indonesia, serving with Mr. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan as the Chairman. Mari is an Indonesian economist who served as managing director of Development Policy and Partnerships in the World Bank from 2020 to 2023. The President of the World Bank, David Malpass, announced her appointment on 9 January 2020 saying that she would be responsible for development policy and partnerships in her role in the bank. Previously she served as Minister of Trade in Indonesia from October 2004 to October 2011.
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Isabel García Tejerina
- Occupations
- economistjuristlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Isabel García Tejerina is a Spanish politician of the PP.
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Darrell Steinberg
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Darrell Steven Steinberg is an American politician and attorney who was the 56th mayor of Sacramento, California from 2016 to 2024. He was elected to be mayor on June 7, 2016 (avoiding a runoff). Previously, he was California Senate President pro Tempore and the leader of the majority party in the California State Senate from 2008 to 2014.
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Kim Schrier
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 1997 graduated with Doctor of Medicine
- Occupations
- pediatricianpolitician
- Biography
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Kimberly Merle Schrier is an American former physician and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district includes the suburbs east of Seattle, and extends across the Cascade Range to rural areas in central Washington, as well as the cities of Wenatchee and Ellensburg.
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Dave Scott
- Occupations
- water polo playertriathlete
- Biography
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Dave Scott is a U.S. triathlete and the first six-time Ironman World Championship winner (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1987). A progenitor of the sport, in 1993, Scott was the first person inducted in the Ironman Hall of Fame. He is known by the nickname "The Man" for his intense training regimens and his unrelenting race performances that created a record number of wins.
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Carol Folt
- Occupations
- scientistbiologistecologistdean
- Biography
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Carol Lynn Folt is an American ecologist and academic administrator who served as the 12th president of the University of Southern California from July 2019 to June 2025. She previously served as the 11th chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2013 to 2019 and as interim president of Dartmouth College from 2012 to 2013.
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Joe Biagini
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Joseph Carlo Biagini is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. The San Francisco Giants selected Biagini in the 26th round of the 2011 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut for Toronto in 2016. Born in the United States, he represented the Italy national baseball team.
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Sal Viscuso
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Sal Viscuso is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Father Timothy Flotsky in Soap (1977–1981).
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Charles M. Rice
- Occupations
- researchervirologist
- Biography
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Charles Moen Rice is an American virologist and Nobel Prize laureate whose main area of research is the hepatitis C virus. He is a professor of virology at the Rockefeller University and an adjunct professor at Cornell University and Washington University School of Medicine. At the time of the award he was a faculty at Rockefeller.
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Daniel Descalso
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Daniel William Descalso is an American professional baseball coach and former infielder who currently serves as the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Chicago Cubs from 2010 to 2019.
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Mano Murthy
- Occupations
- composer
- Biography
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Mano Murthy is an Indian musician and composer in the Kannada film industry. He is best known for his songs in Mungaru Male, one of the biggest hits in the Kannada industry.
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Luis Scott-Vargas
- Occupations
- Magic: The Gathering player
- Biography
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Luis Scott-Vargas, commonly known as LSV, is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, California, USA, currently living in Denver, Colorado. His accomplishments include fifteen Grand Prix Top 8s (five wins among them) and ten Pro Tour Top 8s (one win among them). In 2013 he was inducted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame. As well as being a prominent player, LSV is also known for his writing about the game. He was a writer for StarCityGames.com before becoming the editor and vice president for ChannelFireball.com, a Magic: The Gathering shop and strategy website. LSV still writes for ChannelFireball but ended his tenure as editor in 2012 to work as a game designer at Dire Wolf Digital, specifically on Eternal, and in 2021 LSV joined Good Luck Games to work on Storybook Brawl.
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Navin Yavapolkul
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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Navin Yavapolkul, known professionally as Navin Tar, is a Thai singer, actor and lecturer of Kasetsart University.
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David Loebsack
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 1985 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherpolitical scientistpolitician
- Biography
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David Wayne Loebsack is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he also is an emeritus professor of political science at Cornell College, where he had taught since 1982. On April 12, 2019, Loebsack announced he would not seek reelection.
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Kengo Oishi
- Occupations
- psychiatristpolitician
- Biography
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Kengo Oishi is a Japanese politician. He currently serves as governor of Nagasaki Prefecture from 2022 to 2026.
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María Teresa Kumar
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- political activist
- Biography
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María Teresa Kumar is a Colombian American political rights activist and President and CEO of the Latino political organization, Voto Latino. Kumar was named by Elle Magazine in 2013 as one of the ten most influential women in Washington, D.C., and by Hispanic Business in 2017 as one of the 100 most influential Latinos in America. A Voto Latino interview done with President Joe Biden on the eve of the 2024 presidential election was widely reported to have done significant damage to the Kamala Harris campaign for president.
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Tani Cantil-Sakauye
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
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Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye is an American lawyer and jurist who was the 28th Chief Justice of California and is the president/CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California. She was nominated by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as chief justice on July 22, 2010, and retained in office by California voters on November 2, 2010, she was sworn in on January 3, 2011 as California's first Filipino and first woman of color to serve as California's Chief Justice. Prior to her appointment as chief justice, Cantil-Sakauye had served in judicial offices on California's appellate and trial courts. On July 27, 2022, she announced she would retire and not run for another 12 year term on the court in November and stepped down on January 1, 2023, leaving Governor Newsom to appoint her replacement. On September 28, 2022, the Public Policy Institute of California announced that Cantil-Sakauye would become its president and chief executive officer, effective January 2023. In September 2023, the Judicial Council of California voted unanimously to name the new Sacramento County courthouse after Cantil-Sakauye.
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Kristie Macosko Krieger
- Occupations
- film producer
- Biography
-
Kristie Macosko Krieger is an American film producer, best known for her work alongside director Steven Spielberg. She worked as his assistant (or "associate") starting with the 1998 documentary film The Last Days, and then on his own films from 2001's A.I. Artificial Intelligence to 2011's The Adventures of Tintin. She also became producer on Spielberg's films starting with 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. For 2015's Bridge of Spies, 2017's The Post, 2021's West Side Story, and 2022's The Fabelmans, she received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture.
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Steve Wynn
- Occupations
- singerguitaristsinger-songwritercomposermusician
- Biography
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Steve Wynn is an American singer, musician and songwriter. He led the band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 in Los Angeles, afterward began a solo career, and then reformed the Dream Syndicate in 2012.
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George Miller
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- In 1972 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
George Miller III is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1975 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the state's 7th congressional district until redistricting in 2013 and 11th congressional district until his retirement. Miller served as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee from 1991 to 1995 and Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee from 2007 until 2011.
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Clint Bolick
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- Graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
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Clint Bolick is a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Previously, he served as Vice President of Litigation at the conservative/libertarian Goldwater Institute. He co-founded the libertarian Institute for Justice, where he was the Vice President and Director of Litigation from 1991 until 2004. He led two cases that went before the Supreme Court of the United States. He has also defended state-based school choice programs in the Supreme Courts of Wisconsin and Ohio.
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Karen Joy Fowler
- Occupations
- novelistscience fiction writerwriter
- Biography
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Karen Joy Fowler is an American author of science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. Her work often centers on the nineteenth century, the lives of women, and social alienation.
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Chris Crawford
- Occupations
- video game developerdesigner
- Biography
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Christopher Crawford is an American video game designer and writer. Hired by Alan Kay to work at Atari, Inc., he wrote the computer wargame Eastern Front (1941) for Atari 8-bit computers which was sold through the Atari Program Exchange and later Atari's official product line. After leaving Atari, he wrote a string of games beginning with Balance of Power for Macintosh. Writing about the process of developing games, he became known among other creators in the nascent home computer game industry for his passionate advocacy of game design as an art form. He self-published The Journal of Computer Game Design and founded the Computer Game Developers Conference (later renamed to the Game Developers Conference).
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Ty Kelly
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Tyler Patrick Kelly is an American-Israeli former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. He plays for Team Israel.
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Ann Veneman
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- Studied political science
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Ann Margaret Veneman is an American attorney who served as the fifth executive director of UNICEF from 2005 to 2010. She previously served as the 27th United States secretary of agriculture from 2001 to 2005. Veneman served for the first term of President George W. Bush, and she left to take the UNICEF position. Appointed by the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on January 18, 2005, she took over the post on May 1, 2005, serving until 2010. Previously, she also served as secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, serving from 1995 to 1999, as well as United States deputy secretary of agriculture, serving from 1991 to 1993. Veneman was the first woman to serve as Secretary of Agriculture and the second woman to lead UNICEF, following her predecessor, Carol Bellamy.
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Alvin S. White
- Occupations
- military personneltest pilotaircraft pilot
- Biography
-
Alvin Swauger White was an American test pilot and mechanical engineer. He flew the maiden flights of both XB-70 Valkyrie aircraft, the first 2,000 mph (3,200 km/h) flight, and all subsequent Mach 3 exploration flights.
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Peter Lavelle
- Years
- 1961-.. (age 65)
- Occupations
- journalisttelevision presenter
- Biography
-
Peter John Lavelle is an American journalist and host of CrossTalk, a political talk show on the English-language TV channel RT, which is controlled by the Russian state. He is the co-founder and co-host, with George Szamuely, of the political commentary show, TheGaggle, on Locals. Lavelle, originally from Tustin, California is now based in Moscow.
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Adam Steltzner
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- 1987-1990 graduated with Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering
- Occupations
- military flight engineerscientistwriter
- Biography
-
Adam Diedrich Steltzner is an American NASA engineer who works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He worked on several flight projects including Galileo, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). He was the lead engineer of the Mars Science Laboratory's EDL phase (Entry, Descent and Landing), and helped design, build and test the sky crane landing system.
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Michele Boyd
- Occupations
- television actorfilm produceractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Michele Boyd is an American actress, producer and host. She co-founded the geek girl parody group Team Unicorn and played Riley in the popular webseries The Guild.
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Simone Campbell
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
-
Simone Campbell, SSS is an American Catholic religious sister, lawyer, lobbyist and the former executive director of NETWORK Lobby. She belongs to the Sisters of Social Service. She is known as an outspoken advocate for social justice.
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Maria Kang
- Occupations
- bloggerbeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
-
Maria M. Kang-Casler, is an American fitness advocate, coach, blogger, and founder of the No Excuse Mom movement, a nonprofit organization which promotes a healthy lifestyle, centered on diet and exercise, for mothers. Residing in the Sacramento, California area, Kang began competing in beauty and fitness competitions as a teenager, winning several including Miss Petite Teen International, Miss Philippines USA, and Miss Bikini California.
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Razib Khan
- Occupations
- intellectualwriterpodcasterbloggergeneticist
- Biography
-
Razib Khan is a conservative atheist Bangladeshi-American writer and blogger who covers population genetics and consumer genomics. He has written for a variety of mainstream and far-right publications, including briefly The New York Times. In 2014 he sequenced his son's genone in utero.
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Stephen Robinson
- Occupations
- astronaut
- Biography
-
Stephen Kern Robinson is an American former NASA astronaut.
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Elizabeth Stephens
- Occupations
- sculptorfilmmakersex educator
- Biography
-
Elizabeth M. "Beth" Stephens is an American filmmaker, artist, sculptor, photographer, professor and two time Chair of the Art Department at UC Santa Cruz. Stephens, who describes herself as "ecosexual", collaborates with her wife since 2002, ecosexual artist, radical sex educator, and performer Annie Sprinkle.
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Dan Hawkins
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Danny Clarence Hawkins is an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Willamette University from 1993 to 1997, Boise State University from 2001 to 2005, University of Colorado Boulder from 2006 to 2010, and the University of California, Davis from 2017 to 2023, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 156–92–1. Hawkins was the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for five games in 2013 before he was fired mid-season. Between 2011 and 2016, he worked as a college football analyst for ESPN.
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Ruby Ibarra
- Occupations
- rapperspoken word artistdirectorsinger
- Biography
-
Ruby Anne Ibarra is a Filipino rapper. She raps in Tagalog, Bisaya, and English. Her raps concern her cultural heritage and her experiences as an immigrant to the United States from the Philippines. In 2023, Ibarra co-founded a record label, Bolo Music Group, which highlights Filipino American artists.
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James Lindesay-Bethune, 16th Earl of Lindsay
- Years
- 1955-.. (age 71)
- Occupations
- land ownerbusinesspersonfarmerpolitician
- Biography
-
James Randolph Lindesay-Bethune, 16th Earl of Lindsay, is a Scottish businessman and Conservative politician.
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Gloria Wekker
- Occupations
- anthropologistessayistuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
-
Gloria Daisy Wekker is an Afro-Surinamese Dutch emeritus professor (Utrecht University) and writer who has focused on gender studies and sexuality in the Afro-Caribbean region and diaspora. She was the winner of the Ruth Benedict Prize from the American Anthropological Association in 2007.
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Benjamin H. Bratton
- Occupations
- university teacherdesignersociologist
- Biography
-
Benjamin H. Bratton is an American philosopher of technology known for his work spanning social theory, computer science, speculative design, artificial intelligence, and for his writing on "planetary scale computation."
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Scott Miller
- Occupations
- music criticsinger-songwriterjournalistguitarist
- Biography
-
Scott Warren Miller was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work as leader of the 1980s band Game Theory and 1990s band The Loud Family, and as the author of a 2010 book of music criticism. He was described by The New York Times as "a hyperintellectual singer and songwriter who liked to tinker with pop the way a born mathematician tinkers with numbers", having "a shimmery-sweet pop sensibility, in the tradition of Brian Wilson and Alex Chilton."
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Anna Escobedo Cabral
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Anna Escobedo Cabral is a Mexican-American politician who served as the Unit Chief for Strategic Communications in the External Relations Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) from 2009 to 2018. Today, she and her husband serve as partners of the Cabral Group, a consulting and public policy firm. She also serves as an independent director for Navient, a member of the Comcast NBCU diversity council, and as an advisor to the Libra Group, and Valaurum. Her current nonprofit commitments include serving as chair of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, chair of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, Treasurer of Lideramos, a national Latino organization focused on providing leadership training to grassroots community advocates, and member of the board of governors of Orange County Community Foundation. Prior to joining the IDB, Cabral served as the 42nd Treasurer of the United States from January 19, 2005, to January 20, 2009. She became the highest-ranking Latina in the George W. Bush administration after the resignation of Rosario Marin.
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Jeff Chang
- Occupations
- journalistmusic critic
- Biography
-
Jeff Chang is an American historian, journalist, and music critic on hip hop music and culture. His 2005 book, Can't Stop Won't Stop, which won the American Book Award, chronicles the early hip hop scene. His writing has appeared in URB, BOMB, San Francisco Chronicle, The Village Voice, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Vibe, Spin, The Nation, and Mother Jones. He has also been featured on NPR.
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David Benaron
- Occupations
- physician
- Biography
-
David A. Benaron was an American physician, biomedical researcher, and technology entrepreneur. He served as a professor of pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine and was known for contributions to medical optical imaging, wearable health technology, and related biomedical innovations.
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Daniel Fells
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Daniel Fells is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UC Davis Aggies and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2006.
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John S. Watson
- Occupations
- businesspersonbusiness executive
- Biography
-
John S. Watson is an American businessman. He served as the chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Chevron Corporation from January 1, 2010 to January 31, 2018.
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Bonnie L. Bassler
- Occupations
- university teacherbiochemistmolecular biologist
- Biography
-
Bonnie Lynn Bassler is an American molecular biologist; the Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology and chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University; and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. She has researched cell-to-cell chemical communication in bacteria and discovered key insights into the mechanism by which bacteria communicate, known as quorum sensing. She has contributed to the idea that disruption of chemical signaling can be used as an antimicrobial therapy.
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Quincy Amarikwa
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
-
Quincy Obinna Amarikwa is an American former professional soccer player.
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Chow Chung-kong
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
-
Sir Chung-kong Chow, also known as Chow Chung-kong and C.K. Chow, is a Hong Kong businessman and government appointee. He is currently chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority and is a former non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. He was also chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, which owns the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
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Rich Waltz
- Occupations
- sports commentator
- Biography
-
Rich Waltz is an American television play-by-play commentator currently calling college football & basketball for CBS Sports; Waltz also does MLB for MLB Network and Apple TV's Friday Night Baseball. A three-time Emmy winner, Waltz is formerly known for calling television broadcasts for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball from 2005 to 2017. Waltz's dismissal by the Marlins was criticized by fans and media. Over the past few years, Waltz has filled in on games for the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Turner Sports, On TBS, Waltz called the Alec Mills no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs, which was the sixth MLB no-hitter he has announced. Waltz also called the 2020 AL Wild Card Series for TBS alongside Jimmy Rollins.
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Khari Jones
- Occupations
- Canadian football playerAmerican football player
- Biography
-
Khari Okang Jones is an American former professional football quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the UBC Thunderbirds of U Sports. He was formerly the head coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Jones played quarterback in the CFL, where he enjoyed his most success with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jones also played briefly for the Arena Football League's Albany Firebirds and the World League of American Football's Scottish Claymores. He is also a former television sports reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).He has also been the offensive coordinator for the BC Lions, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Redblacks.
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Katy Tang
- Years
- 1984-.. (age 42)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Katy Tang is a former American elected official in San Francisco, California. She served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing Supervisorial District 4.
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Xu Xiaonian
- Enrolled in the University of California - Davis
- Graduated with doctorate
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
-
Xu Xiaonian is Professor of Economics and Finance at China Europe International Business School, named by Businessweek as one of China's Most Powerful People in 2009. From 1981 to 1985, he worked at Center of Development and Research, State Council of the People's Republic of China as Research Fellow. He got Doctor of Economics at University of California, Davis in 1991. From 1991 to 1995, he worked as assistant professor at Amherst College.
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Sig Mejdal
- Years
- 1965-.. (age 61)
- Occupations
- statistician
- Biography
-
Sig Mejdal is the assistant general manager for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball.
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Elena Favilli
- Occupations
- opinion journalistwriterentrepreneurjournalistpublisher
- Biography
-
Elena Favilli is an Italian-American author, speaker, and media entrepreneur.
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Sandrine Dixson-Declève
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- expert
- Biography
-
Sandrine Dixson-Declève is an international climate change, sustainable development, sustainable finance and complex systems thought leader. She was co-president of the Club of Rome from 2018 to 2024, and together with Mamphela Ramphele was the first women to lead the organization in its history.
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David D. Cortese
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
David Dominic Cortese is an elected official from San Jose, California. He is currently serving in the California State Senate, representing District 15, which encompasses a majority of Santa Clara County. Before being elected to the California State Senate, Cortese served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for 12 years, as a Councilmember and Vice Mayor for the City of San Jose for eight years, and for eight years as a trustee for the East Side Union High School District in San Jose. Cortese ran for mayor of San Jose and won the primary, losing the general election to District 3 councilmember Sam Liccardo.
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Elihu Harris
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Elihu Mason Harris is a retired American politician and college administrator. A member of the Democratic Party, Harris served as the 46th Mayor of Oakland, California from 1991 to 1999; he previously served for 12 years (1978–1990) as a member of the California State Assembly. He was the Chancellor of Peralta Community College District from 2004 to 2010.
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Amishi Jha
- Years
- 1970-.. (age 56)
- Occupations
- university teacherneuroscientistpsychologist
- Biography
-
Amishi Jha is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami.
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John Butler
- Occupations
- film directorscreenwriter
- Biography
-
John Butler is an Irish director, screenwriter, and novelist. in 2011, Picador published his novel "The Tenderloin". His Television credits include the sketch show Your Bad Self, which won an IFTA for best entertainment show, plus writing and directing on The Outlaws (2021), which starred Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken, and films directed are The Stag, Handsome Devil, and Papi Chulo. Other writing has appeared in The Irish Times, the Dublin Review and elsewhere.
