38 Notable alumni of
Wright State University
Updated:
Wright State University is 1168th in the world, 418th in North America, and 391st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 38 notable alumni from Wright State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
-
Nicole Scherzinger
- Occupations
- voice actorsinger-songwriteractortelevision actorsongwriter
- Biography
-
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the R&B and pop group the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With two albums and over 55 million records sold worldwide, the Pussycat Dolls became one of the world's best-selling female groups of all time.
-
Winston Marshall
- Occupations
- musicianbanjoist
- Biography
-
Winston Aubrey Aladar deBalkan Marshall is a British podcaster, political commentator and former musician. He is the former banjoist and lead guitarist of the folk rock band Mumford & Sons. Prior to this he was in the bluegrass sleaze rap group Captain Kick and the Cowboy Ramblers. With Mumford & Sons, Marshall won multiple awards, including a Grammy and two Brit Awards. He has performed music with different supergroups and collaborated with Baaba Maal and HVOB. After leaving Mumford & Sons, Marshall started an interview podcast with his father's magazine, The Spectator.
-
Carlos Peña
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Carlos Felipe Peña is a Dominican former professional baseball first baseman and current broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Kansas City Royals.
-
Eddie McClintock
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorvideo game actorfilm screenwriterfilm actor
- Biography
-
Edward Theodore McClintock is an American actor. He is best known for his role of Secret Service agent Pete Lattimer on the Syfy series Warehouse 13. McClintock's other television roles include the sitcom Stark Raving Mad and the action thriller Shooter. In 2023, he made his film directorial debut with Miracle at Manchester, in which he also starred.
-
Joe Smith
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Joseph Michael Smith is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins. Smith attended Wright State University and was drafted by the Mets in the third round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut in 2007.
-
Brad Sherwood
- Occupations
- television actorsingeractorimproviser
- Biography
-
Bradley Sherwood is an American actor, singer, comedian, game show host and writer. He is best known for his work on the British and American versions of comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
-
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Occupations
- poetwriternovelistessayistshort story writer
- Biography
-
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-born American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her short story collection, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award in 1996. Two of her novels (The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart), as well as a short story (The Word Love) were adapted into films.
-
Robert Pollard
- Occupations
- singerrecording artistsinger-songwriter
- Biography
-
Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. is an American singer and songwriter. He is the frontman and leader of indie rock band Guided by Voices, of which he is also the only constant member. He has also released 22 solo albums.
-
Joyce Beatty
- Enrolled in Wright State University
- In 1974 graduated with Master of Science
- Occupations
- officialbusinesspersonuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
-
Joyce Marie Beatty is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 3rd congressional district since 2013, and as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Beatty represented the 27th district in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1999 to 2008, serving for a time as minority leader. She was also previously the senior vice-president for outreach and engagement at Ohio State University.
-
Sean Murphy
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Sean Michael Murphy is an American professional baseball catcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the third round of the 2016 MLB draft. Murphy made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Athletics and won a Gold Glove Award in 2021. In 2023, He was traded to the Braves and he made his first All-Star Game in his first season with the team.
-
Nan Whaley
- Enrolled in Wright State University
- Graduated with Master in Public Administration in urban affairs
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Nannette L. Whaley is an American politician who served as the 56th mayor of Dayton, Ohio, from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to the mayorship in November 2013, after serving on the city commission for two terms. Whaley presided over the United States Conference of Mayors from 2021 to 2022. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election, losing to incumbent Mike DeWine.
-
Vitaly Potapenko
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
-
Vitalii Mykolayovych Potapenko is a Ukrainian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wright State Raiders and was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1996 NBA draft, also the last pick before Kobe Bryant. Nicknamed "the Ukraine Train", he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, as well as MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB.
-
Anthony Shaffer
- Years
- 1962-.. (age 64)
- Occupations
- military officerwriterintelligence analystintelligence officerspy
- Biography
-
Anthony Shaffer is a former U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who became known for his claims about mishandled intelligence before the September 11 attacks, and for the censoring of his ghost written book Operation Dark Heart. Shaffer was a member of the Able Danger project, having joined in 1999.
-
Brian Anderson
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Brian James Anderson is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, who played 13 seasons for five teams, as well as a sports broadcaster and coach. Currently, Anderson is the color commentator on the Rays TV crew on Bally Sports Sun.
-
Iman Crosson
- Occupations
- television producerYouTuberactorcomedian
- Biography
-
Iman Crosson, better known by his stage name Alphacat, is an American actor, impressionist, and YouTube personality known for his impersonations of former U.S. President Barack Obama and his starring role in independent film Along the Roadside.
-
Michael Barratt
- Occupations
- astronautphysician
- Biography
-
Michael Reed Barratt is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. Board certified in internal and aerospace medicine, he served as a flight surgeon for NASA before his selection as an astronaut and has played a role in developing NASA's space medicine programs for both the Shuttle–Mir program and International Space Station. His first spaceflight was a long-duration mission to the International Space Station as a flight engineer on the Expedition 19 and 20 crew. In March 2011, Barratt completed his second spaceflight as a crew member of STS-133. Barratt made a second long-duration mission to the International Space Station as a flight engineer on the Expedition 70, 71, and 72 crew and also served as the pilot on the SpaceX Crew-8 mission.
-
Mike Gallagher
- Occupations
- political pundittalk show hostnon-fiction writerradio personality
- Biography
-
Mike Gallagher is an American radio host and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Mike Gallagher Show, a nationally syndicated radio program that airs throughout the United States on Salem Radio Network and is also a FOX News Channel Contributor and guest host. According to Talkers magazine, Gallagher is the tenth most-listened-to radio talk show host in the United States.
-
Jorge Gurgel
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
-
Jorge Valente Gurgel is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor from 2002 to 2014, Gurgel is best known as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2 and for his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce.
-
Amanda Tori Meating
- Enrolled in Wright State University
- Studied in 2018
- Occupations
- drag queen
- Biography
-
Amanda Tori Meating is the stage name of Amanda Philipps, an American drag performer, theatrical actor, and wig stylist who competed on season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race.
-
Michael A. Guetlein
- Years
- 1967-.. (age 59)
- Enrolled in Wright State University
- Graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Michael Anthony Guetlein is a United States Space Force general who serves as the direct reporting program manager of the Office of Golden Dome for America. He recently served as the second vice chief of space operations from 2023 to 2025. He previously served as the deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office from 2019 to 2021 and as the first commander of Space Systems Command from 2021 to 2023.
-
David Albright
- Years
- 1948-.. (age 78)
- Occupations
- physicist
- Biography
-
David Albright is an American physicist and a weapons expert who is the founder of the non-governmental Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), its current president, and author of several books on proliferation of atomic weapons.
-
Vernon Sykes
- Occupations
- politicianprofessor
- Biography
-
Vernon Sykes is an American politician who served as the state Senator for the 28th district of the Ohio Senate from 2017 to 2024. The district included Akron, Barberton, Green, Portage Lakes, Sawyerwood, Lakemore and portions of Cuyahoga Falls, Mogadore and Tallmadge in Summit County.
-
Cliff Rosenberger
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Cliff Rosenberger is a former American politician who was a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving the 91st District from 2011 until 2018. He was Speaker of the House from 2015 until 2018. It was announced that Kirk Schuring would take over as the interim speaker. Rosenberger represented a large southern Ohio district that includes Wilmington, Hillsboro and Waverly.
-
Frank Lickliter
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
-
Franklin Ray Lickliter II is an American professional golfer. He featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, going as high as 41st in 2001.
-
Tim Waggoner
- Years
- 1964-.. (age 62)
- Occupations
- writernovelisteditorlecturer
- Biography
-
Tim Waggoner is an American author of novels and short stories in the fantasy, horror, and thriller genres.
-
Kevin Kramer
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Kevin Lowell Kramer is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 and 2019.
-
Siva S. Banda
- Occupations
- military flight engineer
- Biography
-
Siva Subrahmanyam Banda is an Indian-American aerospace engineer. He was Director of the Control Science Center of Excellence and Chief Scientist for the Aerospace Systems Directorate at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He has taught at Wright State University, the University of Dayton, and the Air Force Institute of Technology.
-
Deborah Loewer
- Enrolled in Wright State University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Deborah A. Loewer was the first warfare qualified woman promoted to flag rank in the United States Navy. She was frocked to the rank of rear admiral on October 1, 2003 and retired in 2007.
-
Brent E. Huffman
- Years
- 1979-.. (age 47)
- Occupations
- film directorfilm producerphotographerzoologist
- Biography
-
Brent Edward Huffman is an American director, writer, and cinematographer of documentaries and television programs, including Saving Mes Aynak (2015). His work has been featured on Netflix, Discovery Channel, The National Geographic Channel, VICE, NBC, CNN, PBS, Time, The New York Times, Al Jazeera America and Al Jazeera English and premiered at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and many other U.S. and international film festivals. Brent Huffman is the Director of Documentary Journalism and a Professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Loudon Love
- Years
- 1998-.. (age 28)
- Enrolled in Wright State University
- Studied in 2017
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Loudon Love is an American professional basketball player for the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wright State Raiders.
-
Bhrigu Nath Singh
- Occupations
- military flight engineer
- Biography
-
Bhrigu Nath Singh, also known as B.N. Singh, is an Indian engineering scientist, current vice-chancellor at Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University and former director general at the IITRAM.
-
Kyle Koehler
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Kyle Koehler is an American politician serving as a member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 10th district since 2025. After representing the 79th district in the Ohio House of Representatives from January 2015 to December 2022, Koehler ran for State Senate in 2024. He was elected to a four year term in the upper chamber by a 65%-35% margin. He was sworn into office on January 6th surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren.
-
Thais Russomano
- Occupations
- university teacherscientistphysician
- Biography
-
Thais Russomano is a Brazilian doctor and scientific researcher specialising in space medicine, space physiology, biomedical engineering, telemedicine and telehealth. She founded the Microgravity Centre (MicroG) at PUCRS university, Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1999, coordinating it for 18 years until 2017. The MicroG is the first educational and research centre in Space Life Sciences in Latin America. She is a senior lecturer at King's College London, lecturing in Aviation and Space related courses; coordinator of the Space Network (Rede Espaço), University of Lisbon; guest lecturer at Aalto University, Finland in Space and Design; guest lecturer at Pfarrkirchen Institute of Technology, European Campus, contributing to the MSc in Medical Informatics; consultant for the Skolkovo Foundation; member of the Mars One Advisory Board; International Relations Director for the UK-based HuSCO, Human Spaceflight Capitalization Office; and director of two private companies linked to space life sciences and telehealth – InnovaSpace Consultancy (UK) and International Space Medicine Consortium (USA).
-
Stephen L. Davis
- Enrolled in Wright State University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in economics
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
-
Stephen L. Davis is a United States Air Force general who serves as commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command since 4 November 2025. He previously as the Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force from March 2022 to November 2025. He most recently served as the director of global power programs at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. Previously, he was the director for global operations of the United States Strategic Command.
-
Cooper Land
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Cooper Land is an American former professional basketball player who is most known for his time spent in the State Basketball League (SBL) with the Rockingham Flames. He played college basketball for Wright State University before playing professionally in Norway, Germany, Australia and Japan.
-
Irene D. Long
- Occupations
- physician
- Biography
-
Irene Duhart Long was an American physician and was an official at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She was the first female chief medical officer at the Kennedy Space Center.
-
Chase Whiteside
- Years
- 1988-.. (age 38)
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
Chase Augustus Whiteside is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, and co-founder of New Left Media. Whiteside is perhaps best known for his films documenting the participants at Tea Party events. Those documentaries, which IndieWire called "a perfect example of where documentary form and style is headed," have received more than 7 million views on YouTube. Henry Rollins wrote of his interviews with conservatives in a Vanity Fair column, "The very talented Mr. Ripley is a good interviewer and puts his subjects at ease." The Advocate calls him an "ambitious gay reporter."
-
John B. Ellington, Jr
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
John B. Ellington Jr. is a former major general in the Air National Guard and director of the National Guard Chaplain Corps and Air National Guard Assistant to the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force.
