43 Notable alumni of
Western Washington University
Updated:
Western Washington University is 1205th in the world, 432nd in North America, and 405th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 43 notable alumni from Western Washington 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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Ben Gibbard
- Enrolled in Western Washington University
- Studied engineering
- Occupations
- composerfilm actorsingerguitaristsinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Benjamin Gibbard is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup The Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives, in 2012, and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I'm Gone (2009) with Jay Farrar.
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Carrie Brownstein
- Occupations
- singerfilm directorwriterscreenwriteractor
- Biography
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Carrie Rachel Brownstein is an American musician, actress, writer, director, and comedian. She first came to prominence as a member of the band Excuse 17 before forming the rock trio Sleater-Kinney.
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Hiro Yamamoto
- Occupations
- musician
- Biography
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Hiro D. Yamamoto is a Japanese-American bassist who was a founding member of grunge band Soundgarden, along with Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell in 1984. He left the band in 1989, and two years later, he started the independent rock band Truly together with Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel and Robert Roth from The Storybook Krooks. In 2016, Yamamoto co-founded the surf trio Stereo Donkey.
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Agnes Martin
- Occupations
- printmakerpainterdraftsperson
- Biography
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Agnes Bernice Martin RCA was an American abstract painter known for her minimalist style and abstract expressionism. Born in Canada, she moved to the United States in 1931, where she pursued higher education and became a U.S. citizen in 1950. Martin's artistic journey began in New York City, where she immersed herself in modern art and developed a deep interest in abstraction. Despite often being labeled a minimalist, she identified more with abstract expressionism. Her work has been defined as an "essay in discretion, inwardness and silence."
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Mike Duncan
- Occupations
- historianpodcaster
- Biography
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Michael William Duncan is an American political history podcaster and author. A self-described "complete history geek", after not finding any Roman history podcasts in 2007, Duncan began The History of Rome, a narrative podcast chronicling events from the founding of Rome until the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The podcast concluded in 2012. A year later he began Revolutions, which ran for ten seasons over the course of nine years, covering the American, French, and Russian revolutions, among others. The series' second phase ended in July 2022 and was followed by a nearly two-year hiatus before the series returned on 22 October 2024 with a fictional account of a prospective Martian Revolution. On 16 December 2024, Duncan announced that he was continuing work on the Revolutions podcast, declaring that the Martian Revolution season would be the "intermission" of the podcast and that he would return to telling the stories of real revolutions afterwards.
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Barrett Martin
- Occupations
- drummerjazz musician
- Biography
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Barrett Harrington Martin is an American drummer and record producer from Washington. He is perhaps best known for his work with the alternative rock bands Screaming Trees and Mad Season. He was also a member of Skin Yard, Tuatara, and Walking Papers, and has performed as a session musician for many artists in a variety of genres. As a producer, he has won one Latin Grammy and has been nominated in two other categories. As an ethnomusicologist, he has produced two albums for the Shipibo Shamans in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, and one album for the Neets'ai Gwich'in in the Alaskan Arctic.
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Laurence J. Peter
- Occupations
- psychologistuniversity teacherpedagogue
- Biography
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Laurence Johnston Peter was a Canadian educator and "hierarchiologist" who is best known to the general public for the formulation of the Peter principle.
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Chris Walla
- Occupations
- radio personalitymaster of ceremoniessongwritercomposerDJ producer
- Biography
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Christopher Ryan Walla is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie.
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Byron Mallott
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Byron Ivar Mallott was an American politician, elder, tribal activist, and business executive from the state of Alaska. Mallott was an Alaska Native leader of Tlingit heritage and the leader of the Kwaash Ké Kwaan clan. He was the 12th lieutenant governor of Alaska from December 2014 until his resignation on October 16, 2018. He also previously served as the mayor of Yakutat, the mayor of Juneau, the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives and the executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund.
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Dan Erickson
- Occupations
- screenwriter
- Biography
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Daniel Earling Erickson is an American television screenwriter, showrunner, and producer. He created, wrote and executive produced the psychological thriller television series Severance, starring Adam Scott and Britt Lower and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, which premiered on the Apple TV+ streaming service in February 2022.
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Michael Farris
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Michael P. Farris is an American lawyer. He is a founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Patrick Henry College, which share a campus in Purcellville (Loudoun County), Virginia. From 2017 through 2022, he was CEO of and general counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom.
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Daulton Hommes
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Daulton Hommes is an American professional basketball player for Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. After graduating high school, he played college basketball for Point Loma Nazarene University, where he was named the NABC Division II National Player of the Year for the 2018–19 season.
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Breezy Johnson
- Occupations
- alpine skier
- Biography
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Breezy Noble Johnson is an American World Cup alpine ski racer on the U.S. Ski Team. She competes in the speed events of downhill and super-G.
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Terrence Deacon
- Years
- 1950-.. (age 75)
- Enrolled in Western Washington University
- Studied in 1976
- Occupations
- university teacheranthropologistphilosopherlinguist
- Biography
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Terrence William Deacon is an American neuroanthropologist (Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology, Harvard University 1984). He taught at Harvard for eight years, relocated to Boston University in 1992, and is currently Professor of Anthropology and member of the Cognitive Science Faculty at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Penelope Houston
- Occupations
- musiciancomposersinger-songwritersinger
- Biography
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Penelope Houston is an American singer-songwriter best known as the singer for the San Francisco-based punk rock band the Avengers. She was raised in Seattle. In the mid-1970s she attended Fairhaven College in Bellingham, Washington. In 1977, Houston moved to San Francisco, attended the San Francisco Art Institute, and shortly after became the lead singer and songwriter for the Avengers. That band released one album, their eponymous debut in 1983.
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Garrett Madison
- Occupations
- mountaineer
- Biography
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Garrett Madison is an American mountaineer, guide and expedition leader. Madison began guiding professionally in 1999 on Mount Rainier and has climbed Mount Everest 14 times. His company, Madison Mountaineering, specializes in climbs on Mount Everest and other high altitude peaks, operates on the highest peaks on all seven continents, and also provides training programs and summit climbs in Washington State.
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Julie Larson-Green
- Occupations
- computer scientist
- Biography
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Julie Larson-Green is the former chief experience officer (CXO) of the Office Experience Organization at Microsoft, where she worked 1993 through 2017. She subsequently joined Qualtrics as their CXO.
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Douglas Massey
- Enrolled in Western Washington University
- Studied in 1975
- Occupations
- university teachersociologist
- Biography
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Douglas Steven Massey is an American sociologist. Massey is currently a professor of Sociology at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and is an adjunct professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Debora Juarez
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Debora Juarez is an American lawyer and politician who served as the president of the Seattle City Council. She was first elected in 2015 to represent the 5th district. A member of the Blackfeet Nation, she was the first Native American person elected to the council.
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Bruce Barnum
- Occupations
- head coach
- Biography
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Bruce Eugene Barnum is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Portland State University, a position he had held since the 2015 season.
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Art Chantry
- Occupations
- graphic designerdesigner
- Biography
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Arthur Samuel Wilbur Chantry II is a graphic designer often associated with the posters and album covers he has done for bands from the Pacific Northwest, such as Mudhoney, Mono Men, Soundgarden, and The Sonics.
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James E. Johnson
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Sergeant James Edmund Johnson was a posthumous recipient of the United States' highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his heroic lone fight on December 2, 1950, to cover the withdrawal of his platoon during the bitter Chosin Reservoir campaign in Korea. When last seen by his comrades Johnson was wounded, but still engaging the enemy in close grenade and hand-to-hand combat. The enemy were wearing the uniforms of friendly troops at the time. He was listed as missing in action until December 2, 1953, when his status was officially changed to killed in action.
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Randy Tate
- Enrolled in Western Washington University
- In 1988 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Randall John "Randy" Tate is an American politician and a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Washington.
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Cheryl Chow
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Cheryl Chow was an American educator and politician. She was a Seattle City Council member from 1990 to 1997.
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Calvin McCarty
- Occupations
- Canadian football playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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Calvin McCarty is an American former professional football fullback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently the running backs coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played as a tailback until 2014, when he became the starting fullback for the Edmonton Eskimos. McCarty was known for being able to fill many roles at his position, with TSN sportscaster Chris Schultz noting in 2010 that he is a "multi-purpose running back who catches the ball extremely well, blocks well and runs well". He is a Grey Cup champion after winning with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015.
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Ralph Munro
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ralph Davies Munro is a retired American Republican politician who previously served as the 13th Secretary of State of Washington. First elected in 1980, he served five terms. Munro was born in 1943 in Seattle, Washington, and grew up on Bainbridge Island. He is a graduate of Western Washington University holding a B.A. in Education and Political Science. Munro's first job with the state was as a supply clerk working in the basement of the capitol building. Governor Daniel J. Evans appointed Munro as the state's first volunteer coordinator in 1969. He currently resides in Thurston County.
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Brett Mitchell
- Years
- 1979-.. (age 46)
- Occupations
- conductor
- Biography
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Brett Mitchell is an American conductor, composer, and pianist. He is currently Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony and Artistic Director & Conductor of the Sunriver Music Festival.
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Linda J. Bird
- Enrolled in Western Washington University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in secondary education
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Rear Admiral Linda Jeanne Bird, SC, USN, was the first woman in the United States Navy Supply Corps promoted to flag rank.
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Omar Torrez
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- guitarist
- Biography
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Omar Torrez is an American guitarist from Los Angeles, California. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Torrez first received national attention as finalist in the National Jimi Hendrix Guitar Competition at the Bumbershoot Festival. He studied classical guitar at Western Washington University. He studied Flamenco guitar under Juan Serrano and studied with Miroslav Tadic for his MFA. He is a member of the guitar faculty at The California Institute of the Arts.
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Norm Bright
- Occupations
- psychologistathletics competitorteacher
- Biography
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Norman Bright was an American runner, mountaineer, and teacher. Bright once held the American record in the two-mile run.
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Larry Nickel
- Years
- 1952-.. (age 73)
- Occupations
- composer
- Biography
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Larry Nickel is a Canadian composer, conductor, music publisher and singer who devotes much of his focus to choral music. An associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre. he has composed for a wide spectrum of genres; electronic and computer music, string quartet, woodwind and brass quintet, Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble and choral ensembles, including both secular and ecclesiastical music. Primarily, he has written and arranged hundreds of compositions for choirs. Nickel also works as a choral clinician, occasional university professor, music minister, guest conductor and music festival adjudicator. Nickel sang professionally with the Vancouver Chamber Choir for six years, directed the award winning Jubilate Vocal Ensemble for five years, and also sang 2nd bass with the acclaimed Vancouver Cantata Singers for many years. In 2010 Nickel became the owner of Cypress Choral Music Publishing. Nickel's music has been published by 12 companies including Oxford University Press, G. Schirmer, Shawnee Press, Pavane Publishing, Morton Music, Cypress Choral Music, Classica and Canadian International Music. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - CBC Radio - has featured his music many times. The "Sounds of Majesty" radio broadcast out of Chicago (syndicated to a myriad of stations around North America) has featured Larry Nickel's music hundreds of times.
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Steven Hill
- Occupations
- political scientist
- Biography
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Steven John Hill is an American writer, columnist and political reformer. He has authored several books on American politics and political reform, as well as a book on the European political economy (Europe's Promise: Why the European Way is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age). Hill led the campaign to pass instant runoff voting in San Francisco in 2002, which was the first victory for electoral system reform in the United States since the 1950s, and was a leader in other campaigns for instant runoff voting and public financing of campaigns. He is a cofounder of FairVote and former director of the political reform program at the New America Foundation.
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Gary Hallgren
- Years
- 1945-.. (age 80)
- Occupations
- comics artistcartoonist
- Biography
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Gary Hallgren is an American illustrator and underground cartoonist. Illustrations by Hallgren have been "commissioned by publications such as The New York Times, Men's Health, The Wall Street Journal, Mad, and Entertainment Weekly, among others."
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Stephan Aarstol
- Years
- 1972-.. (age 53)
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Stephan Aarstol is an American internet entrepreneur and author of the book The Five Hour Workday.
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Jason Moss
- Occupations
- musicianguitarist
- Biography
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Jason David Moss is an American musician, known for his work as the lead guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he was a member from 1992 to 2010.
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Ben Dragavon
- Occupations
- association football playerassociation football manager
- Biography
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Ben Dragavon is a former American soccer player who is currently an assistant coach for Seattle Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League.
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Charles H. Leavy
- Occupations
- judgepoliticianlawyer
- Biography
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Charles Henry Leavy was a United States representative from Washington and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
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Daniel P. Beard
- Occupations
- writerpolitician
- Biography
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Daniel P. Beard served as the Commissioner of the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and as the fourth Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives.
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Scott White
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Scott Benton White was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Washington State Senate representing the 46th legislative district. His district included much of North Seattle, including the neighborhoods of Northgate, Greenwood, Bitter Lake, Broadview, Haller Lake, Pinehurst, Olympic Hills, Maple Leaf, Lake City, Wedgwood, View Ridge, Laurelhurst, and Windermere.
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Don Eldridge
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Don Delos Eldridge was an American politician.
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Karen Osborn
- Years
- 1974-.. (age 51)
- Enrolled in Western Washington University
- Graduated with Master of Science in biology
- Occupations
- marine biologistannelidologistcurator
- Biography
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Karen Joyce Osborn is a marine scientist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Invertebrate Zoology department. She is known for her work in marine biology specializing in mid-water invertebrates.
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Wendy J. Fox
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Wendy J. Fox is an American author born in Washington. She is most known as a writer of fiction and has thrice been a finalist for the Colorado Book Awards. In 2015, she was nominated for her collection "The Seven Stages of Anger and Other Stories" and in 2020, she was a finalist in literary fiction for "If the Ice Had Held." In 2022, she won for "What If We Were Somewhere Else", a collection of short stories.
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Eugene Laughlin
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Eugene L. "Gene" Laughlin is an American former politician in the state of Washington. He was in the Washington House of Representatives from 1973 to 1977, from the 17th district, which included Klickitat County, Skamania County, and part of Clark County.
