List of Northeastern University people

The following is a list of notable alumni and faculty of Northeastern University.

Business

 * Nikesh Arora – president and chief operating officer of SoftBank
 * Jeff Bornstein – CFO, General Electric
 * Robert A. Brooks – founder and CEO, Brooks Fiber Properties
 * George Chamillard – former CEO, Teradyne, Inc.
 * Jeff Clarke – CEO, Kodak
 * Jeff Cooper – COO and co-founder, EPOX-Z Corporation
 * Bob Davis – CEO and founder, Lycos
 * Richard Egan – co-founder, EMC
 * Shawn Fanning – founder, Napster
 * Jerald G. Fishman – CEO, Analog Devices
 * George Kariotis – founder, Alpha Industries
 * Amin Khoury – founder and CEO, B/E Aerospace
 * Andrew Left – activist short seller
 * Roger Marino – co-founder of EMC; former part-owner of Pittsburgh Penguins
 * Alan McKim – CEO and founder, Clean Harbors
 * Larry Meyer – CEO, Uniqlo USA
 * Srinath Narayanan – principal, Canaccord Adams
 * Marc Raibert – founder and CEO, Boston Dynamics
 * Jeffrey Rosen – billionaire businessman
 * Peter W. Smith – investment banker, Republican activist
 * Sy Sternberg – chairman and CEO, New York Life Insurance Company
 * Biz Stone – co-founder of Twitter

Government and politics

 * Jayson P. Ahern – deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
 * Olubanke King Akerele – Liberian foreign minister
 * George F. Archambault – Pharmacy Liaison Officer for the United States Public Health Service
 * Demetrius J. Atsalis – member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1999–2013)
 * Thomas Calter – member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2007–present)
 * Christie Carpino – member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
 * David Chu – member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (1997–2004) and the 9th and 10th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China
 * Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera – member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1999–2014)
 * Mo Cowan – U.S. senator of Massachusetts
 * Harold Daniel Donohue – member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1947–1974)
 * Robert DeLeo - former speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2009-2020)
 * Patrick Duddy – U.S. ambassador
 * Richard Egan – U.S. ambassador
 * David Ferriero – 10th archivist of the United States
 * Thomas Finneran – former speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1996–2004)
 * Zandra Flemister – first African American woman to serve as a U.S. Secret Service agent (1974–1978)
 * Gordon D. Fox – Majority Leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives (2010–2014)
 * Peter Franchot – Comptroller of Maryland
 * Maggie Hassan – governor of New Hampshire (2013–2017) and the current junior United States senator from New Hampshire
 * Russell Holmes – member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2011–present)
 * Roderick L. Ireland – Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice
 * Edward Jackamonis – speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * James Franklin Jeffrey – U.S. ambassador
 * Lyndon LaRouche – perennial presidential candidate
 * Hadassah Lieberman – wife of Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman
 * Ron Mariano - Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
 * Adnan Aurangzeb Miangul – former Pakistani parliament member and Prince of Swat, Pakistan
 * Paul Parks – Massachusetts secretary of education (1975–1979)
 * John O. Pastore – governor of Rhode Island
 * Ari Porth – member of the Florida House of Representatives
 * Theodore Speliotis – member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
 * Karen Spilka – member of the Massachusetts State Senate
 * Wallace Stickney – director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President George H. W. Bush
 * Thomas Winkowski – former acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
 * Leslie Winner – North Carolina state senator

Judiciary

 * Margot Botsford – Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
 * Linda Dalianis – Justice, New Hampshire Supreme Court
 * Dana Fabe – Chief Justice, Alaska Supreme Court
 * Edward Hennessey – Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
 * Peter T. Zarella – Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court
 * Victoria A. Roberts - Senior Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
 * Landya B. McCafferty - Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire

Science and technology

 * Samer Badran - Software Engineer at EMC
 * Hans Baumann – inventor and engineer
 * Hans R. Camenzind – inventor of the 555 timer IC
 * Richard P. Gabriel – expert on the Lisp programming language
 * Gregory Jarvis – astronaut
 * Eugene F. Lally – aerospace engineer, photographer, entrepreneur
 * Yale Patt – engineer
 * Albert Sacco – astronaut

Military

 * Mark P. Fitzgerald – United States Navy Admiral
 * Richard I. Neal – United States Marine Corps General

Journalism and communications

 * Ernie Anastos – New York City TV news anchorman
 * Eddie Andelman – sports radio talk show host (MBA)
 * Bill Barnwell – sportswriter, ESPN, Grantland
 * Michelle Bonner – ESPN/CNN/FOX Sports anchor, reporter
 * Fred Cusick – sportscaster
 * Richard Daniels – former president, Boston Globe
 * Nat Hentoff – contributing editor, The New Yorker Magazine
 * Dan Mason – radio host
 * Will McDonough – sportswriter, Boston Globe
 * Don Orsillo – TV broadcaster
 * Walter V. Robinson – investigative journalist, 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service recipient
 * Michael Slackman – International Managing Editor, The New York Times
 * Molly White – technology writer and Wikipedia editor

Arts and entertainment

 * Al Barile – singer, guitarist for hardcore punk band SS Decontrol
 * Earle Brown – composer, developed open-form scores
 * Joy Browne – radio talk show host
 * Jose F. Buscaglia – philosopher, historian, social scientist
 * Terry Carter – actor, Sgt. Joe Broadhurst in McCloud and Colonel Tigh in the original Battlestar Galactica
 * Carla Cook – Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist
 * Jane Curtin – actress, comedian, and founding member of Saturday Night Live
 * Michael J. Epstein – filmmaker and musician
 * Martín Espada – poet
 * Damien Fahey – former host of the MTV program TRL
 * Toby Fox – game designer and developer of Undertale and Deltarune
 * Alex Garcia – Food Network chef
 * Meredith Garniss – visual artist and landscape painter
 * Sidney Gish – singer/songwriter
 * Alan Catello Grazioso – Emmy Award winning television producer, director and editor
 * Mohammed Saeed Harib – creator of Freej
 * Courtney Hunt – writer and director, whose film Frozen River was nominated for an Academy Award
 * Beverly Johnson – supermodel and actress
 * Aisha Kahlil – dancer, singer
 * Barbara Kopple – documentary filmmaker
 * Diana Lemieux – freelance photographer
 * Patrice O'Neal – comedian and actor
 * Peter Orner – fiction writer
 * Jillian Wheeler – singer/songwriter
 * Wendy Williams – radio and television, host of The Wendy Williams Show

Academia and nonprofit

 * William M. Fowler – author, professor, and former Director of the Massachusetts Historical Society
 * Michael R. Lane – 15th president of Emporia State University
 * Dean Tong – author and consultant
 * Michael L. Tushman – organizational theorist, professor at Harvard Business School
 * Elizabeth Yeampierre – attorney and environmental activist

Sports

 * Zachary Aston-Reese – NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins
 * José Juan Barea – Dallas Mavericks, NBA
 * Harry Barnes – San Diego Rockets, NBA
 * Ed Barry – Boston Bruins, National Hockey League (NHL)
 * Sandy Beadle – Winnipeg Jets, NHL
 * Bruce Bickford – gold medal-winning distance runner
 * Randy Bucyk – Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, NHL
 * Joe Callahan – Boston Bees, MLB
 * Bob Cappadona – former NFL running back
 * Lynn Chiavaro – basketball player and coach
 * Art Chisholm – Boston Bruins, NHL
 * Rob Cowie – Los Angeles Kings, NHL
 * Kendall Coyne – silver and gold medalist United States women's national ice hockey team
 * Jerome Daniels – Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals
 * Jim Fahey – NHL defenseman, New Jersey Devils
 * Amber Ferreira – professional triathlete
 * Tony Fryklund – professional mixed martial arts fighter
 * Adam Gaudette – Hobey Baker Award recipient, NHL center, Vancouver Canucks
 * Chelsey Goldberg – ice hockey player, Boston Blades, CWHL
 * Scott Gruhl – Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL
 * Jordan Harris (born 2000) - Montreal Canadiens, NHL
 * "Wild" Bill Hunnefield – Major League Baseball (MLB)
 * Shawn James – professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv
 * Sean Jones – National Football League
 * Reema Juffali – Saudi Arabian racing driver
 * Saja Kamal – Saudi Arabian footballer
 * Steven Langton – United States Olympian (bobsled)
 * Dave Leitao – college basketball coach
 * Reggie Lewis – Boston Celtics
 * Madison Mailey – Olympic gold medalist (rowing)
 * Pat Mason – college baseball coach at Virginia Tech
 * Dan McGillis – NHL defenseman
 * Perry Moss – 1986 Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, 1987 Golden State Warriors
 * Chris Nilan – Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers
 * Jamie Oleksiak –NHL, Dallas Stars
 * Adam Ottavino – 1st-round pick in 2006 MLB draft, pitcher for St. Louis Cardinals (2010), Colorado Rockies (2012–2018), New York Yankees (2019-2020) Boston Red Sox (2021-Present)
 * Carlos Peña – MLB first baseman/outfielder, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays
 * David Poile – NHL executive
 * Bruce Racine – NHL goaltender, St. Louis Blues
 * Dan Ross – NFL Cincinnati Bengals and Super Bowl record setter
 * Michael Ryan – NHL left winger, Buffalo Sabres
 * Florence Schelling – goaltender for the Switzerland's Women's Ice Hockey Team
 * Dylan Sikura – NHL center, Chicago Blackhawks
 * Brian Sullivan – NHL, 1992–93 New Jersey Devils
 * Harry Swartz (born 1996) – soccer player
 * Josh Heinrich Taves – NFL football player, 2000–02, Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers
 * Brad Thiessen – NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins
 * Jocko Thompson – MLB pitcher, 1948–51 Philadelphia Phillies
 * Johnny Tobin – MLB, 1932 New York Giants
 * Shaun Tomson (born 1955) – South African world champion surfer
 * Joe Vitale – NHL, center for Pittsburgh Penguins
 * Jason Vosler (born 1993) – baseball third baseman for the San Francisco Giants
 * Ashley Wagner (born 1991) – figure skater
 * Kurt Walker – NHL, 1975–78 Toronto Maple Leafs
 * Jim Walsh – Buffalo Sabres, NHL
 * Rick Weitzman – 1968, World Champion, Boston Celtics
 * Keith Willis – NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Hillary Witt – assistant coach for the United States women's national ice hockey team in the Sochi 2014 Olympics
 * George Yankowski – MLB, 1942 Philadelphia Athletics, 1949 Chicago White Sox

Faculty

 * M. Shahid Alam
 * Daniel P. Aldrich – expert on social capital and resilience in disaster
 * Albert-László Barabási – American Physical Society Fellow, Member of the Academia Europaea and contributor to the development of real-world network theory
 * Lisa Feldman Barrett – Distinguished Professor of Psychology, fellow of AAAS
 * Barry Bluestone – founding director of the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy
 * Ed Bullins – playwright and Guggenheim Fellow
 * Joe Castiglione – MLB radio announcer
 * Rose Laub Coser – sociologist; vice-president of the American Sociological Association; president of the Eastern Sociological Society
 * Tim Cresswell – human geographer and poet
 * Nicholas Daniloff – correspondent for UPI and U.S. News & World Report
 * Richard Deth – voice in the autism and vaccine controversy
 * Michael Dukakis – former Massachusetts State Governor and 1988 Democratic Presidential Candidate
 * Matthias Felleisen – author of How to Design Programs
 * William M. Fowler – historian, former director of the Massachusetts Historical Society
 * James Alan Fox – authority on serial killers and hate crimes
 * Auroop Ratan Ganguly – Water & Climate Science, Data & Network Science, and Infrastructure Resilience
 * Ashley Gjøvik – Program manager for the Intelligent Solutions to Urban Pollution for Equity and Resilience Impact Engine; whistleblower and activist
 * Alexander Gorlov – ASME Thomas A. Edison Award winner; inventor of the Gorlov helical turbine
 * Gary Goshgarian – author, uses the pen name Gary Braver
 * Nat Hentoff – Guggenheim Fellow, Fulbright Fellow
 * M. Whitney Kelting
 * Harlan Lane – MacArthur Foundation Genius Award winner
 * Jack Levin – authority on serial killers and hate crimes
 * Karl Lieberherr – computer scientist
 * Peter K. Manning – authority on the occupational culture of policing
 * Pran Nath – co-developer of the theory of supergravity
 * Robert B. Parker – author of the "Spenser" novels
 * Rupal Patel – speech scientist and founder of VOCALiD
 * Justin B. Ries – marine scientist and inventor
 * Walter V. Robinson – Pulitzer-winning journalist
 * Nada Sanders – Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business
 * Mikhail Shubin – member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and mathematician
 * Justine Siegal – baseball coach and sports educator
 * Alessandro Vespignani – American Physical Society Fellow, Member of the Academia Europaea
 * Mitchell Wand – author of Essentials of Programming Languages