List of Boston College people

Stemming from its nickname as "The Heights," persons affiliated with Boston College
have been referred to as Heightsmen, Heightswomen, Heightsonians and Eagles, the latter in reference to the university's mascot, the Eagle. The following is a partial list of notable alumni and faculty.

Notable Boston College alumni

Arts and literature

Gretchen Andrew, 2010, painter and search engine artist
James Balog, 1974, photographer
Joseph Bottum, Ph.D. 1994, writer
Brendan Galvin, 1960, 76 poet, 2005 National Book Award finalist
George V. Higgins, 1961, J.D. 1967, novelist
Mary Elizabeth Hirsh, novelist
Joseph McLellan, 1951, M.A. 1953, music critic, The Washington Post
Mark Mulvoy, 1964, journalist and writer for The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated
Brian Murphy, nonfiction writer, essayist
Charlie Pierce, writer/journalist, and panelist on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me; attended for two days
David Plante, 1961, novelist
Maurice Sagoff, poet
Mary Sherman, artist and curator
Elliot Silverstein, 1949, director; president, Artists Rights Foundation
Karen Sosnoski, author, radio contributor and filmmaker
C. Dale Young, 1991, poet, physician, editor

Business

Nikesh Arora, 1995, President, Global Sales Operations and Business Development, Google
Richard Berman, J.D. 1969, CEO, NexMed
Wayne Budd, 1963, executive vice president, John Hancock Financial Services
Kathleen Corbet, 1982, CEO, fixed income division, Alliance Capital Management
Joseph Donahue, S.B. 1978, founder, president, Microtech
Stephen L. Green, J.D. 1962, founder of S.L. Green Realty
Robert B. Ford, Chief Executive Officer of Abbott Laboratories
Charlie Jacobs, Principal, Boston Bruins, Delaware North Companies
Christopher G. Kennedy, 1986, President of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., a subsidiary of Vornado Realty Trust, and son of Robert F. Kennedy
Ronald Logue, S.B. 1967, M.B.A. 1974, Chairman and former CEO, State Street Corporation
David H. Long, CEO of Liberty Mutual Group
Karen S. Lynch, 1984, President and CEO of CVS Health
Peter Lynch, 1965, mutual fund manager for Fidelity
John Mara, 1976, president, CEO, and co-owner, New York Giants
Harry Markopolos, 1997, Bernard Madoff whistleblower to SEC
Anupam Mittal, 1997, Founder and Director, Shaadi.com
Denise Morrison, 1975, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company
Denis O'Brien, MBA 1982, Chairman, Digicel
Ferit Şahenk, 1989, head of Turkey's Dogus Holding conglomerate
Philip W. Schiller, B.S. 1982, vice president of Apple Computer
Bill Simon, J.D. 1982, businessman and former gubernatorial candidate in California
Patrick Stokes, 1964, president, Anheuser-Busch
Richard Syron, 1966, chairman, president and CEO, Thermo Electron Corporation; currently CEO of Freddie Mac
Peter Zaffino, 1989, Chairman and CEO, AIG

Education

Harold Attridge, 1967, dean, Divinity School, Yale University
William Bulger, 1958, professor, Boston College; former president of University of Massachusetts
Barry Corey, Ph.D. 1992, President of Biola University
Peter Dervan, 1967, former chairman, division of chemistry and chemical engineering, California Institute of Technology
Robert Drinan, SJ, 1942, former dean, Boston College Law School
Francis Kilcoyne, President of Brooklyn College
Paul J. LeBlanc, president, Southern New Hampshire University; former president of Marlboro College
Brian Linnane, SJ, 1977, president, Loyola University Maryland
Joseph M. McShane, SJ, 1972, president, Fordham University, former president of the University of Scranton
Ernest Moniz, 1966, United States Secretary of Energy under Barack Obama; chair, Physics Department, MIT; director, Bates Linear Accelerator
J. Keith Motley, Ph.D. 1999, chancellor, University of Massachusetts Boston; first African-American chancellor at UMass Boston
Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Associate Professor of Religion & Public Life in the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame
Thomas P. O'Malley, SJ, 1951, former president, John Carroll and Loyola Marymount universities
Michael P. Walsh, SJ, 1929, former president, Boston College and Fordham University

Entertainment

Alex Riley, 2002, professional wrestler and actor
Ayla Brown, 2010, singer, American Idol
P. J. Byrne, 1996, film and television actor of Horrible Bosses, Final Destination 5, The Legend of Korra and The Game
Flora Chan, 1991, Hong Kong television and film actress
Jodi Cilley, producer
Teddy Dunn, JD 2013, actor best known for portraying Duncan Kane on Veronica Mars
Cameron Esposito, 2004, comedian
Craig Finn, 1993, lead singer of The Hold Steady
Maile Flanagan, 1987, voice actress for Naruto
Michael Frazier, 1958, producer
Gary Gulman, 1993, comedian, runner-up in 2004's Last Comic Standing
Alison Haislip, 2003, actress, TV host of Attack of the Show
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, 1999, former reality show contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback, former co-host of talk show The View; host on Fox & Friends
Clinton Kelly, 1991, co-host of TLC's What Not to Wear,; co-host of ABC's The Chew; former magazine editor
Christine Kane, singer-songwriter
Kofi Kingston, professional wrestler
Tom McCarthy, 1988, actor, writer, and director; directed and co-wrote Academy Award Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay winner Spotlight
Edwin McDonough, actor
Ed McMahon, TV host and personality
Mike Najarian, drummer, State Radio
Eric Nam, 2011, Korean singer and entertainer
Leonard Nimoy, 1952, actor
Chris O'Donnell, 1992, actor
PH-1 (rapper), 1989, Korean singer and rapper
Ellis Paul, 1987, singer/songwriter
Bryce Pinkham, stage and screen actor
Amy Poehler, 1993, repertory player for Saturday Night Live and Upright Citizens Brigade; star of Parks and Recreation
Greg Poehler, 1996, creator and star of Welcome to Sweden
Rikishi, 1988, born Solofa F. Fatu Jr., professional wrestler
David Smalley, 1985, singer for All, Dag Nasty, and DYS
Skylar Spence, 2015, musician
Tim Stack, 1978, actor
Lori Trespicio, 2001, Real World X cast member, singer, writer
Nancy Walls, 1988, comedian, wife of Steve Carell
Lulu Wang, 2005, filmmaker
Tracey Wigfield, 2005, comedy writer
Wayne Wilderson, 1989, actor

Law, politics, and public service

Ashleigh Aitken, B.A., mayor of Anaheim, California
Bruce Ayers, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Peter Blute, B.A. 1978, former United States Congressmen and radio talkshow host
Edward P. Boland, J.D. 1936, former United States congressman; author of the Boland Amendment
Julio Borges, M.A. 1994, 8th President of the Venezuelan National Assembly
Garrett J. Bradley, BA 1992 & JD 1995, member of the Mass. House of Representatives
Joseph Brennan, 1958, former governor of Maine, former United States congressman
Scott Brown, J.D. 1985, former Massachusetts state senator; United States Senator
Wayne Budd, 1963, former United States Associate Attorney General
William M. Bulger, J.D. 1961, former president of the Massachusetts state senate and former president of the University of Massachusetts
R. Nicholas Burns, 1978, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, board member of the Council on Foreign Relations, former US Ambassador to NATO, former US Ambassador to Greece
Andrea Cabral, 1981, Sheriff of Suffolk County, Boston, Massachusetts; first woman and first African-American to hold the position
Mike Capuano, J.D. 1977, United States Congressman
Edward Cashman, A.B. 1965, district court judge, State of Vermont
Paul Cellucci, 1970, J.D. 1973, former governor of Massachusetts, former US Ambassador to Canada
Robert W. Clifford, J.D. 1962, Maine Supreme Court justice
John Cogliano, 1987, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation
David Condon, 1996, Mayor of Spokane Washington
John Connolly, former FBI agent, currently incarcerated stemming from his relationship with James J. "Whitey" Bulger
Silvio Conte, 1949, J.D. 1949, former U.S. congressman
W. Edward Crockett, MBA 1986, member of the Maine House of Representatives
John Curtin, 1954, former president, American Bar Association
Bill Delahunt, J.D. 1967, U.S. Congressman
Salvatore DiMasi, 1967, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
John Dooley, LL.B 1968, Vermont Supreme Court justice
Robert Drinan, SJ, 1942, former United States congressman, human rights advocate; only Catholic priest to serve in Congress
Joseph R. Driscoll Jr., BA, member of the Mass. House of Representatives
Mark V. Falzone, B.A., member of the Mass. House of Representatives
John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, 1885, First Irish-Catholic mayor of Boston, grandfather of John F. Kennedy
Martin Foncello, B.S., MBA, member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Linda Dorcena Forry, 1996, second Haitian-American Massachusetts state representative
Keith Francis (runner), B.A. 1976, world-class track athlete, senior analyst, ATF and Boston College trustee
William F. Galvin, 1972, Massachusetts Secretary of State; 2006 Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate
Joseph L. Gormley, 1937, M.A. 1939, FBI agent
Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, B.A., Greek business executive and spouse of the Prime Minister of Greece
Anne P. Graham, 1981, B.S. Maine House of Representatives
Michael S. Greco, J.D. 1972, president, American Bar Association
Patrick Guerriero, MA 1992, executive director, Log Cabin Republicans
Ken Hackett, B.A. 1968, President of Catholic Relief Services
Jane D. Hartley, B.A., United States Ambassador to France
Margaret Heckler, J.D. 1956, former United States Congresswoman, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services, former US Ambassador to Ireland
Charles F. Hurley, 1913, governor of Massachusetts
Cheryl Jacques, 1984, first openly gay state senator in Massachusetts; former president, Human Rights Campaign
Sean M. Joyce, Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Karim Kawar, 1987, Jordanian Ambassador to the United States
Bill Keating, 1974, MBA 1982, United States Congressman
John Kerry, J.D. 1976, United States Secretary of State, former United States senator, 2004 Democratic candidate for President of the United States
Edward J. King, 1948, former governor of Massachusetts and professional football player
Pat LaMarche, 1982, Maine gubernatorial candidate, 2004 Green Party vice-presidential candidate
Wayne LaPierre, M.A., Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association of America
Stephen Lynch, 1991, United States Congressman
Dannel P. Malloy, 1977, J.D. 1980, Governor of Connecticut
Ed Markey, 1968, J.D. '72, United States Congressman
Maeve Kennedy McKean, attorney and public health official in the Obama Administration
Ernest Moniz, 1966, 13th United States Secretary of Energy
Tip O'Neill, 1936, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Grace Poe, B.A. 1991, former chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board in the Philippines; Senator of the Republic of the Philippines
Pierre-Richard Prosper, 1985, United States Ambassador-at-large for War Crimes Issues
Mike Rawlings, 1976, Mayor of Dallas, Texas
Thomas Reilly J.D. 1970, Attorney General of Massachusetts, 2006 Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate
Warren Rudman, J.D. 1960, former United States senator and New Hampshire attorney general
Michael Rustad, Ph.D, intellectual property author, professor at Suffolk University Law School
R.T. Rybak, 1978, Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Marie St. Fleur, J.D. 1987, Massachusetts state representative; first Haitian-American elected to the Massachusetts Legislature; 2006 Massachusetts lieutenant gubernatorial candidate
Thomas P. Salmon, 1954, J.D. '57, former Governor of Vermont
James Sandman, B.A. 1973
Bobby Scott, J.D. 1973, United States Congressman
Francis X. Spina, J.D. 1971, Massachusetts Supreme Court justice
Michael A. Sullivan, 1982, J.D. '85, Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Michael J. Sullivan, 1979, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; 2006 Massachusetts lieutenant gubernatorial candidate
Amul Thapar, 1991, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Maurice J. Tobin, 1922, former mayor of Boston, former governor of Massachusetts, former US Secretary of the Department of Labor
Marty Walsh, mayor of Boston, 2014–2021
Walter E. Webber, 1969, Masonic leader
Kevin White, 1955, former mayor of Boston; longest serving
Diane Wilkerson, J.D. 1981, first African-American Massachusetts state senator
Barbara Wright, B.S., member of the New Jersey General Assembly
Debra Wong Yang, J.D. 1984, United States Attorney for the Central District of California
Daniel P. McKiernan, an American politician and lawyer

Media and communication

Tom Bowman, M.A., Pentagon reporter, National Public Radio
Alina Cho, 1993, broadcast news reporter, CNN
John Charles Daly, American journalist, host, CBS radio and television personality, ABC News executive
Jack Griffin, 1982, publisher, Parade magazine
Elisabeth Filarski Hasselbeck, 1999, co-host, The View, ABC
Jack King, NASA Public Affairs Officer
Paul LaCamera, MBA 1983, president and general manager, WCVB-TV/Boston
Steve Lacy, 1997, anchor, reporter, WCVB-TV/Boston
Mike Lupica, 1974, author; sports columnist, New York Daily News
Julianne Malveaux, 1974, M.A. '76, nationally syndicated columnist, author, producer
Drew Massey, 1992, founder and publisher of P.O.V. magazine; founder of ManiaTV!
John McLaughlin, M.A. 1961, executive producer and host of The McLaughlin Group, PBS
Leo Monahan, 1950, sports journalist and recipient of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award
Brian Murphy, religion editor, Associated Press
Frederick Pratson, 1957, travel writer
Mel Robbins, 1994, television show host and motivational speaker
Luke Russert, 2008, congressional correspondent, NBC News
Bob Ryan, 1968, sports columnist for the Boston Globe
Herb Scannell, 1979, president, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon Networks
Jon Sciambi, 1992, ESPN sports broadcaster
Lesley Visser, 1975, sports broadcaster, ESPN
Dave Wedge, 1993, author, journalist, VICE, Boston Strong, Boston Herald
William O. Wheatley Jr., 1966, former Emmy Award-winning executive producer of NBC Nightly News; executive vice president, NBC News

Religion

Servant of God Thea Bowman, Ph.D. 1989, Franciscan sister, revered evangelist, current candidate for sainthood
Timothy P. Broglio, 1973, Archbishop, Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Richard James Cushing, 1917, Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston
Robert Drinan, SJ, 1942, human rights advocate, only Catholic priest ever to serve in US Congress
Gregory John Hartmayer, O.F.M. Conv., M.Ed, 1992, Archbishop of Atlanta
Jeffry Korgen, Catholic writer and comic creator
Frederick G. Lawrence, scholar of Bernard Lonergan
Richard Lennon, 1969, Bishop of Cleveland
Gerasimos Michaleas, M.A. 1986, Ph.D. 1993, Metropolitan of San Francisco; Archbishop, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
John Courtney Murray, 1926, M.A. 1927, prominent Jesuit theologian, architect of Vatican II
Mark O'Connell, 1986, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston
Fachtna O'Driscoll, Superior General of the Society of African Missions worldwide, 2013–2019
William Henry O'Connell, 1881, Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston
Deidre Palmer, Ph.D. 1989, President of the Uniting Church in Australia from 8 July 2018
Edward Phillips, Eastern Deanery AIDS Relief Program, Archdiocese of Nairobi
Francis A. Sullivan, SJ, 1944, M.A. 1945, Jesuit theologian and ecclesiologist

Science, technology, and medicine

Rosina Bierbaum, B.S. and B.A. 1974, Dean at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment and member of the National Science and Technology Council under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama
Jane A. Cauley,, epidemiologist, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
Joseph L. Gormley, 1937, M.A. 1939, former chief of chemistry and toxicology for the FBI
Philip J. Landrigan, epidemiologist and pediatrician
George D. LeMaitre, B.A. 1955, vascular surgeon, author, and surgical device inventor
Aleksandar Totic, 1988, co-founder and former partner, Netscape
Kevin J. Tracey, 1979, neurosurgeon and immunologist

Economics

Welles Crowther, 1999, equities trader who saved more than a dozen people during the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, during which he lost his own life
Elizabeth Ellis Hoyt, economist, considered the inventor of the modern day Consumer Price Index
Martha MacDonald, President of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) from 2007 to 2008
James Markusen, Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder
Stephen P. Murray, private equity investor and philanthropist
Abdisalam Omer, Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia
Joseph T. Salerno, 1972, Austrian School economist, Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute
Cathy Schoen, economist at the New York Academy of Medicine, served on U.S. President Jimmy Carter's health insurance task force

Notable Boston College faculty

Art History

Chemistry

Amir Hoveyda, developer of the Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst

Computer Science

Eastern, Slavic, & German Studies

Maxim D. Shrayer

Economics

Ann Fetter Friedlaender
Arthur Lewbel, noted for econometrics, consumer demand analysis

Education

English

Amy Boesky
Gerald Dawe, Northern Irish; Burns Visiting Professor
Kim Garcia
Elizabeth Graver, author
Paul Lewis
Paul Mariani, author
Suzanne Matson, author

Finance

Alan Marcus
Alicia Munnell, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury; researcher on Social Security and retirement
Paul Romer, 2018 Nobel laureate, economic sciences
Philip Strahan

History

Sheila Blair, Norma Jean Calderwood University Professor of Islamic and Asian Art
Jonathan M. Bloom, Norma Jean Calderwood University Professor of Islamic and Asian Art
Robin Fleming
Radu Florescu, distinguished Romanian historian, author of works on Vlad Dracula
John Hume, former Northern Ireland politician, recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize
David Northrup
Heather Cox Richardson