List of Wake Forest University people
This list of Wake Forest University people includes notable alumni, faculty and staff of Wake Forest University, a private research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Alumni
Academia
Founders and leaders of academic institutions
- James Archibald Campbell, first president of Campbell College
- Leslie H. Campbell, second president of Campbell College
- John Wesley Chandler, 12th president of Williams College, 15th president of Hamilton College and president of the AACU in 1985
- Spright Dowell, former president of Auburn University and Mercer University
- Michael Maxey, 11th president of Roanoke College
- George M. Modlin, former president of the University of Richmond
- William Louis Poteat, educator; seventh president of Wake Forest University
- Norman Adrian Wiggins, third president of Campbell University
- Washington Manly Wingate, 4th president of Wake Forest University
Arts and letters
Literature and poetry
- Joseph Quincy Adams Jr.
- Stephen Amidon, author
- A.R. Ammons, poet and scholar
- T. Davis Bunn, author
- Mark D. Brenner, author, journalist
- Justin Catanoso, author
- Gary Chapman, author and radio talk show host
- Dhonielle Clayton, author and CEO of We Need Diverse Books
- Frances O'Roark Dowell, author
- L.M. Elliott, author, Under a War-Torn Sky
- Margaret Feinberg, author and public speaker
- Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, author, founder of Valens Global
- Emily Giffin, author of Something Borrowed
- Clint McCown, poet, author
- Elizabeth Marquardt, author
- Toni Newman, author
Journalism and media
- Bethany Brookshire, science journalist
- Jason Benetti, play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Tigers
- Linda Carter Brinson, writer, editor, and journalist
- Janice Marie Collins, journalist
- W. J. Cash, author and journalist
- Becky Garrison, religious satirist and columnist for The Wittenburg Door
- Laci Green, YouTuber
- James Hamblin, board-certified physician, staff writer at The Atlantic, lecturer in public health policy at Yale University
- Shane Harris, journalist and author, senior national security writer at The Washington Post
- Melissa Harris-Perry, political scientist and journalist
- Harold Hayes, writer, former editor of Esquire magazine
- Maria Henson, journalist, editor, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing award
- Al Hunt, journalist and columnist for Bloomberg News
- Carlos Maza, journalist for Vox
- Dagen McDowell, anchor for Fox Business Channel and business correspondent for Fox News
- Martha Mason, writer
- Hoke Norris, journalist
- Kasha Patel, science writer
- Scott Rasmussen, political analyst
- LaChina Robinson, women's college basketball analyst for Fox Sports 1
- Eddie Timanus, USA Today sportswriter; Jeopardy! champion
Music
- Christopher Magiera, international operatic baritone, professor of voice
- Clare Shore, music composer
Film and television
- Carol Barbee, television producer, writer
- Stephanie Birkitt, assistant to David Letterman on Late Show with David Letterman
- Marc Blucas, actor
- David Burris, filmmaker and television producer
- Tyler Cameron, television personality, model
- David Chase, television writer, director, producer
- Andi Dorfman, television personality, The Bachelorette
- Drew Droege, actor, comedian, writer and director
- James DuBose, film and television producer, entertainment industry executive; Rising Star Award recipient
- Ward Horton, actor
- Matt James, television personality, first black bachelor lead for The Bachelor
- Cheslie Kryst, television correspondent, winner of Miss USA 2019
- Joe Lawson, co-creator of GEICO Cavemen commercials and ABC's Cavemen TV series
- Carter MacIntyre, television actor
- Lee Norris, film and television actor
- Carroll O'Connor, actor
- Sarah Schneider, former writer for Saturday Night Live
- Arvind Swamy, Indian Tamil film actor and businessman
- Dave Willis, co-creator of the animated TV shows Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Squidbillies; writer and voice actor for animated TV show ''Space Ghost: Coast to Coast''
Visual art
- Justin Brice Guariglia, artist and former documentary photographer for the National Geographic Society
- Mercedes Teixido, visual artist
Politics, law, and government
U.S. governors
- John S. Battle, former 56th Governor of Virginia
- Thomas Walter Bickett, 54th governor of North Carolina
- Charlie Crist, governor of Florida
- J. Melville Broughton, governor of North Carolina and U.S. senator
- Robert L. Ehrlich, governor of Maryland and former congressman
- William W. Kitchin, governor of North Carolina
- Charles Aurelius Smith, 91st governor of South Carolina
U.S. senators and congress members
- Josiah W. Bailey, U.S. senator
- Ted Budd, U.S. senator ; former congressman
- Richard Burr, former U.S. senator
- Charles B. Deane, former U.S. Representative
- Joseph J. Davis, former U.S. representative
- Oliver H. Dockery, former U.S. representative
- Donna Edwards, Democratic representative of Maryland's 4th Congressional District
- David Funderburk, former congressman ; U.S. ambassador to Romania
- Kay Hagan, former U.S. senator of North Carolina
- Jesse Helms, former U.S. senator
- George Holding, former United States representative for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district
- Claude Kitchin, former House Minority Leader and House Majority Leader of U.S. House of Representatives
- John H. Kerr, former member of the United States House of Representatives, represented North Carolina's 2nd congressional district
- Larry Kissell, U.S. congressman
- Brad Knott, U.S. congressman
- Horace R. Kornegay, former U.S. congressman, member of North Carolina's 6th congressional district
- Alton A. Lennon, former U.S. senator; congressman
- Robert Burren Morgan, former U.S. senator
- Monroe M. Redden, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
- Furnifold M. Simmons, former U.S. senator
- Walter Leak Steele, former U.S. Representative
- Charles H. Taylor, former congressman
- Frank Thompson, former U.S. Representative
Diplomats
- James P. Cain, former U.S. ambassador to Denmark
- Robert S. Gilchrist, United States ambassador to Lithuania
- Dennis Walter Hearne, United States ambassador to Mozambique
- Jeanette W. Hyde, former ambassador to Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, Antigua, Grenada, St. Vincent, and St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
- Graham Martin, former U.S. ambassador to Italy, Thailand, and South Vietnam
- William V. Roebuck, former U.S. ambassador to Bahrain
Federal officials
- Laura Daniel-Davis, current deputy secretary of the interior
- Janice B. Gardner, former assistant secretary of the Treasury for Intelligence and Analysis under the George W. Bush Administration
- John Graham, former senior official in the George W. Bush Administration
- Bo Hines, former federal official in the Second Trump Administration
- Jennifer M. Harris, senior director for International Economics & Labor on the U.S. National Security Council
- Robert L. Wilkie, former assistant secretary of Defense and Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Judges and attorneys
- Amy M. Baggio, judge of the Multnomah County Circuit Court
- Kenneth D. Bell, judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
- Phil Berger Jr., associate judge of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- Rhoda Billings, professor; former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- Joe Freeman Britt, former district attorney of Robeson County, North Carolina
- William Earl Britt, former senior judge of United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Mark Christie, attorney and member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Richard Dietz, judge on the North Carolina Supreme Court
- William A. Devin, former jurist and associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- Elizabeth K. Dillon, chief U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- Andrew Dimlich, judge of [West Virginia Circuit Courts|10th Oregon circuit courts|Circuit Court of West Virginia]
- John E. Dowdell, chief judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
- Rusty Duke, judge
- Louise W. Flanagan, district judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Jerome B. Friedman, former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Britt Grant, U.S. Circuit Court judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit; former Justice of Supreme Court of Georgia
- Major B. Harding, attorney and former chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court
- Johnson Jay Hayes, former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- Robert Higdon Jr., former United States attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Jerome Holmes, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Tiffany R. Johnson, U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- I. Beverly Lake, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- John Davis Larkins Jr., former chief and senior judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- C. Hardaway Marks, attorney
- Isaac Melson Meekins, former United States district judge of United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Karen S. Marston, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- John C. Martin, chief judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals
- Steve Owens, attorney
- Eleni M. Roumel, judge, United States Court of Federal Claims
- Davis R. Ruark, former state's attorney for Wicomico County, Maryland
- Allison Jones Rushing, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Edwin Monroe Stanley, former United States district judge of United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- Emory M. Sneeden, former judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Alan Z. Thornburg, former judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals
- Norwood Carlton Tilley Jr., senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- Lycurgus R. Varser, former associate justice of North Carolina Supreme Court
- George L. Wainwright, Jr., former associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- Hiram Hamilton Ward, former United States district judge of United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- Samuel Grayson Wilson, former United States district judge of United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
Mayors
- James Pratt Carter, former mayor of Madison, North Carolina
- Paul Coble, former mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina
- Tom Fetzer, former mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina
- H. Edward Knox, former 49th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
- Patrick Smathers, former mayor of Canton, North Carolina
Military
- C. Forrest Faison III, retired vice admiral of the United States Navy, former Surgeon General of the United States Navy
- Pat Foote, brigadier general, first woman to be given brigade command; first female instructor at the Army War College
- Duvall Williams, former rear admiral of the United States Navy and commander of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Other political figures
- JB Akers, member of West Virginia House of Delegates
- Lynton Y. Ballentine, 20th lieutenant governor of North Carolina
- W. E. Bradley, former member of Alaska Senate and Anchorage Assembly
- Henry L. Bridges, former North Carolina State Auditor
- Dennis G. Brummitt, former North Carolina Attorney General and Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- C. Dan Barrett, Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina in 2004
- Charlie Baum, member of Tennessee House of Representatives
- Phil Berger, Republican leader in the North Carolina State Senate
- Mary Wills Bode, member of the North Carolina Senate
- W. E. Bradley, member of the Alaska Senate
- J. Melville Broughton, former governor of North Carolina
- Laura Budd, member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Deb Butler, member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- J. Russell Capps, former member of North Carolina General Assembly
- Charles M. Cooke, former Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina Secretary of State
- Roy Asberry Cooper Jr., lawyer and Democratic Party strategist
- N. Leo Daughtry, former member of the North Carolina General Assembly
- Ted Davis Jr., member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- Charles B. Deane, former member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Creigh Deeds, 2009 Democratic Party nominee for governor of Virginia
- Keith Denning, member of Connecticut House of Representatives
- David Hunter Diamont, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- Steven Dickerson, former member of the Tennessee Senate
- Jimmy Dixon, member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Jerry Dockham, former member of the North Carolina General Assembly
- Bobby Drakeford, member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Mary P. Easley, First Lady of North Carolina
- Joe Ellington, member of West Virginia House of Delegates
- James Forrester, North Carolina State Senator
- Greg Habeeb, former Virginia state delegate representing Virginia's 8th House of Delegates District
- Leslie C. Hardy, former member of Arizona Senate
- Destin Hall, member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Patricia Hollingsworth Holshouser, First Lady of North Carolina
- Brandon Jones, former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
- Perrin Jones, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- John H. Kerr Jr., former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- Donny Lambeth, member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Michael V. Lee, member of North Carolina Senate
- Richard H. Moore, North Carolina treasurer
- Wiley F. Mitchell, former member of the Virginia Senate
- Jack Nichols, former member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Arthur Orr, member of Alabama Senate
- Thomas Jones Pence, former secretary of the Democratic National Committee
- Josh Pitcock, former chief of staff to vice president Mike Pence under the first Trump administration
- Eric Miller Reeves, North Carolina state senator
- Alex Sink, former 2nd chief financial officer of Florida ; Democratic candidate for governor of Florida in 2010
- R. C. Soles Jr., former member North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives
- John J. Snow Jr., former member of North Carolina Senate
- James Snyder Jr., former member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Brian Turner, member of North Carolina House of Representatives
- Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee
- Dennis A. Wicker, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives and 31st lieutenant governor of North Carolina
Science
- William Bachovchin, chemist/chemical biologist, professor of Molecular and Chemical Biology at Tufts University School of Medicine
- Wendy Boss, botanist at North Carolina State University
- John H. Crowe, physiologist
- Kevin Cokley, psychologist
- Terri Fisher, psychologist
- Phillip Griffiths, mathematician; professor at the Institute for Advanced Study
- Kenneth M. Halanych, zoology
- Angel Hsu, climatologist and environmental scientist
- Kenneth M. Halanych, zoologist; professor at Auburn University
- Mona Jhaveri, cancer researcher and entrepreneur focused on biotech funding
- Eric N. Olson, molecular biologist
- Donald R. Ort, botanist and biochemist; Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- LeShawndra Price, psychologist
- Douglas D. Taylor, entrepreneur and former academic researcher in the field of extracellular vesicles
Religion
- Len G. Broughton, former Baptist minister at Christ Church, Lambeth
- John Wesley Chandler, Cluett Professor of Religion and department chair at Williams College
- James Malone Coleman, former bishop of Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee
- Jill Y. Crainshaw, theologian scholar
- Amzi Clarence Dixon, Baptist minister and author, older brother of Thomas Dixon, Jr.
- Michael Curry, 27th presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church; addressed the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
- Thomas Dixon, Jr., minister and novelist
- J. Cheryl Exum, biblical scholar and Emeritus Professor at University of Sheffield
- Thomas Fraser, former bishop of Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
- Tripp Fuller, theologist and minister
- Harry Y. Gamble, former professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia
- John Howard, 8th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
- Kimberly Lucas, bishop of The Episcopal Church in Colorado
- Ted G. Stone, Southern Baptist evangelist and recovered amphetamine addict
- Tish Harrison Warren, New York Times columnist and Anglican priest
Business
- Ross Atkins, executive, general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays
- Jabez A. Bostwick, founding partner of Standard Oil
- D. Wayne Calloway, former CEO of PepsiCo
- Charlie Ergen, co-founder and CEO of Dish Network and EchoStar
- David Farr, CEO of Emerson Electric Company
- Robin Ganzert, CEO of the American Humane organization
- Anil Rai Gupta, chairman and managing director of Havells
- Andrew Holland, founder and CEO of the Fusion Industry Association
- Zach Klein, co-founder of Vimeo
- Justin W. Lee, founder of the Gay Christian Network
- Joseph W. Luter III, chairman of Smithfield Foods, Inc.
- David E. Orton, engineering executive
- Kevin Scott, chief technology officer at Microsoft
- Warren Stephens, chairman, president and CEO, Stephens Inc.
- G. Kennedy Thompson, chairman, president and CEO, Wachovia Corp.
- Ricky Van Veen, head of global creative strategies at Facebook and co-creator of the website CollegeHumor
- Eric C. Wiseman, chairman and chief executive officer, VF Corporation
Medicine
- Erin Calipari, pharmacology
- William T. Carpenter, pharmacology
- Richard Cytowic, neurology
- Max Gomez, medical reporter
- David L. Heymann, infectious disease
- Joseph Ladapo, surgeon general of Florida
- Willis Maddrey, internal medicine and hepatology
- Thomas Marshburn, astronaut
- Diane Mathis, immunohaematology
- Mary L. McMaster, oncologist, senior clinical trial specialist at the National Cancer Institute
- J. Wayne Meredith, Richard T. Myers Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, chief of Clinical Chairs and chief of Surgery at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
- Patricia L. Turner, general surgeon
- Cameron Webb, physician, former nominee for Virginia's 5th congressional district, current White House senior policy advisor for COVID-19 in the Biden Administration
- Wendy Young, chemist
Sports
Athletic administrators
- Sandy Barbour, former athletic director for Penn State University, University of California, Berkeley, and Tulane University
- John Currie, Wake Forest athletics director
American football
- Jon Abbate, linebacker in NFL, CFL and UFL, central figure in The 5th Quarter, film on Wake's 2006 season
- Ernie Accorsi, NFL executive
- Billy Ard, New York Giants
- Stanley Arnoux, NFL linebacker, Super Bowl Champion
- Reggie Austin, NFL cornerback
- Alex Bachman, NFL wide receiver
- Hank Bachmeier, professional football player
- Gary Baldinger, NFL defensive tackle
- Rich Baldinger, NFL offensive lineman
- Jahmal Banks, NFL player
- Elmer Barbour, NFL linebacker
- Chris Barclay, NFL running back
- Billy Ray Barnes, NFL halfback, 3x Pro-Bowler
- Carlos Basham Jr., NFL linebacker
- Essang Bassey, NFL cornerback
- Jessie Bates, NFL safety for the Cincinnati Bengals
- Tommy Bohanon, NFL fullback for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- DJ Boldin, NFL wide receiver, current offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers
- Carlos Bradley, NFL linebacker
- Ed Bradley, former NFL player
- Ed Bradley Jr., former NFL player
- David Braxton, NFL linebacker
- K.J. Brent, NFL wide receiver
- Ronnie Burgess, NFL defensive back
- Josh Bush, NFL free safety, Super Bowl 50, Champion, currently a free agent
- Michael Campanaro, NFL wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens
- Tyson Clabo, former NFL player, Pro-Bowler
- Jim Clack, NFL guard
- Caelen Carson, NFL player
- Desmond Clark, NFL tight end
- George Coghill, retired NFL defensive back for the Denver Broncos
- Ben Coleman, NFL offensive lineman
- Aaron Curry, NFL linebacker, No.4 pick in the 2009 NFL draft
- Greg Dortch, NFL wide receiver
- Harry Dowda, NFL running back
- Jim Duncan, former NFL player
- Kenny Duckett, NFL wide receiver
- Duke Ejiofor, NFL linebacker, Houston Texans
- Clark Gaines, NFL running back
- Bill George, NFL linebacker
- Brandon Ghee, NFL cornerback
- Chris Givens, NFL wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens
- Cam Glenn, CFL defensive back
- Bob Grant, NFL linebacker
- Sam Hartman, NFL player for Washington Commanders
- Justin Herron, NFL offensive lineman
- Kendall Hinton, NFL wide receiver
- Kevin Johnson, defensive back for the Houston Texans
- Michael Jurgens, NFL player for Minnesota Vikings
- Syd Kitson, NFL guard
- Dave LaCrosse, NFL linebacker
- Marquel Lee, middle linebacker for the Oakland Raiders
- Joe Looney, NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys
- Michael McCrary, NFL defensive end, 2-time Pro-Bowler, Super Bowl XXXV Champion
- John Henry Mills, NFL running back, linebacker and tight end; Pro-Bowl
- Ovie Mughelli, fullback for the Atlanta Falcons
- Jamie Newman, NFL quarterback
- Harry Newsome, former NFL player
- Calvin Pace, NFL defensive end
- James "Quick" Parker, retired professional football player, Canadian Football Hall of Fame
- Brian Piccolo, retired professional football player, former fullback for the Chicago Bears
- Ryan Plackemeier, punter for the Seattle Seahawks
- Tanner Price, professional football player
- Ricky Proehl, NFL wide receiver, Carolina Panthers wide receivers coach
- Jerry Punch, auto racing and college football commentator on ESPN
- Walter Rasby, NFL tight end
- Fred Robbins, NFL defensive tackle for the New York Giants
- Anthony Rubino, NFL tackle for the Detroit Lions
- Alphonso Smith, former NFL player
- Norm Snead, NFL quarterback; four-time Pro Bowler
- Zach Tom, NFL player for Green Bay Packers
- Jyles Tucker, NFL linebacker
- Kobie Turner, NFL player
- Chip Vaughn, former NFL player, Super Bowl XLIV, Champion with the New Orleans Saints
- Luiji Vilain, NFL player for Carolina Panthers
- Nikita Whitlock, NFL player, current free agent
- Kyle Wilber, NFL linebacker, currently plays for the Las Vegas Raiders
- John Wolford, NFL quarterback
- Joe Zelenka, former professional football player
- Charlie Zimmerman, former college football player
Major League Baseball
- Gair Allie, former MLB player
- Ryan Braun, former MLB pitcher
- Mike Buddie, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Yankees and Brewers
- Chase Burns, MLB player for Cincinnati Reds
- Dave Bush, former MLB pitcher, currently a pitching coach
- Tommy Byrne, MLB player, 1949 and 1956 World Series champion with the New York Yankees
- Rip Coleman, MLB player, 1956 World Series champion with the New York Yankees
- Will Craig, first round pick in the 2016 MLB draft, currently a free agent
- Ryan Cusick, MLB player for Athletics
- Bill Dillman, MLB player
- Parker Dunshee, MLB player for the Oakland Athletics
- Allan Dykstra, MLB player
- Stuart Fairchild, current MLB player for the Cincinnati Reds organization
- Lee Gooch, former MLB player
- Tommy Gregg, former MLB player
- Erik Hanson, former MLB player
- Josh Hartle, MLB player
- Marek Houston, MLB player
- Kevin Jarvis, former MLB pitcher, currently a scout for the San Diego Padres
- C. B. Johnston, former baseball player and coach
- Seaver King, MLB player for Washington Nationals
- Nick Kurtz, MLB player
- Tom Lanning, former MLB player
- Buddy Lewis, former MLB player, 2x MLB All-Star
- Rhett Lowder, MLB pitcher for Cincinnati Reds
- Mike MacDougal, former MLB relief pitcher, MLB All-Star
- Willard Marshall, former MLB player, three-time MLB All-Star
- Bill Masse, former professional baseball player
- Jack Meyer, former MLB player, Philadelphia Phillies
- Camden Minacci, MLB player
- Nate Mondou, MLB player
- Doyt Morris, former MLB player
- Griffin Roberts, MLB player; free agent
- Craig Robinson, former MLB player
- Warren Sawkiw, former professional baseball player
- Ray Scarborough, retired MLB player, 10 MLB seasons, MLB All-Star, 1952 World Series champion with the New York Yankees
- Bob Seymour, MLB player
- Gavin Sheets, 49th pick in the 2017 MLB draft, current MLB player for the Chicago White Sox organization
- Jared Shuster, MLB pitcher, first round 2020 MLB draft pick of the Atlanta Braves
- Kyle Sleeth, No.3 overall pick in MLB draft, former MLB player
- Brick Smith, former MLB player
- Shane Smith, MLB player
- Jack Stallings, former professional baseball player and coach
- Cory Sullivan, former MLB player
- Sean Sullivan, MLB player
- Brock Wilken, MLB player
- Mac Williamson, former MLB player
- Larry Woodall, former MLB player
Basketball
- Al-Farouq Aminu, small forward for the Portland Trail Blazers NBA team
- Tyree Appleby, professional basketball player
- Muggsy Bogues, retired NBA player, 14 years in the NBA, played for the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors, shortest NBA player of all time, standing 5 ft 3 in
- Chaundee Brown Jr., professional basketball player
- Skip Brown, former college basketball player and athletic director for Wake Forest, selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1977 NBA draft
- Dave Budd, center for the New York Knicks
- Len Chappell, former NBA player
- Tyler Cavanaugh, professional basketball player
- Andrew Carr, professional basketball player
- Abramo Canka, professional basketball player
- Brandon Childress, professional basketball player
- Randolph Childress, former professional basketball player who last played in Italy for Cestistica San Severo, current assistant coach for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- John Collins, 19th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, currently plays for the Utah Jazz
- Bryant Crawford, professional basketball player for Bursaspor Basketbol
- Casey Crawford, former professional basketball player
- Charlie Davis, former NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers, fourth-team All-American, 1971 ACC Player of the Year
- Ian DuBose, professional basketball player
- Tim Duncan, retired NBA player, #1 overall pick in 1997 NBA draft, 15-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA MVP, five-time NBA Champion, member of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- Justin Gray, professional basketball player for BC Tsmoski-Minsk
- Murray Greason, former college basketball and baseball coach, 1956 ACC Coach of the Year
- Kenny Green, #12 pick of the 1985 NBA draft, former NBA player for Washington Bullets and Philadelphia 76ers
- Rod Griffin, 17th pick of the 1978 NBA draft, former professional basketball player
- Dearica Hamby, #6 pick in the 2015 WNBA draft, currently plays for Las Vegas Aces
- C. J. Harris, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Cameron Hildreth, basketball player
- Dickie Hemric, former NBA player, 1957 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics
- Jaylen Hoard, French-American basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Jennifer Hoover, current head coach of the Wake Forest demon deacons women's basketball team
- Josh Howard, former NBA player, forward-guard for the Washington Wizards NBA team
- Frank Johnson, #11 pick in the 1981 NBA draft
- James Johnson, small forward for the Dallas Mavericks NBA team
- Ralph James, former football and basketball head coach
- Jim Johnstone, former professional basketball player
- Chris King, retired professional basketball player
- Bobi Klintman, professional basketball player
- Jake LaRavia, NBA player for Memphis Grizzlies
- Rusty LaRue, former NBA player
- Nicole Levesque, former professional basketball player
- Paul Long, former NBA and ABA basketball player
- Chas McFarland, former professional basketball player
- Gil McGregor, former NBA player, CBA champion
- Kevin McMillan, current head coach of the University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team
- Codi Miller-McIntyre, professional basketball player for Parma Basket
- Dinos Mitoglou, Greek professional basketball player for Panathinaikos
- Doral Moore, NBA player
- Guy Morgan, former NBA player
- Fran McCaffery, head coach of Penn Quakers men's basketball
- Jack Murdock, former basketball player and coach
- Billy Packer, CBS Sports college basketball analyst
- Chris Paul, #3 overall pick in 2005 NBA draft, guard for the San Antonio Spurs, 2005–2006 NBA Rookie of the Year, 10-time NBA All-Star
- Eddie Payne, former college basketball head coach at University of South Carolina Upstate
- Elisa Penna, professional basketball player
- Ricardo Peral Antunez, former Spanish professional basketball player
- Ivana Raca, professional basketball player
- Troy Rike, professional basketball player
- Rodney Rogers, 9th overall pick of the 1993 NBA draft, former NBA player
- Efton Reid, professional basketball player
- Delaney Rudd, former professional basketball player
- Olivier Sarr, professional basketball player
- Hunter Sallis, NBA player for the Philadelphia 76ers
- Alexandra Sharp, professional basketball player
- Ish Smith, NBA player for the Washington Wizards
- Darius Songaila, former NBA player for Washington Wizards, previously Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls
- Anthony Teachey, former professional basketball player
- Jeff Teague, former NBA player, NBA Champion
- Devin Thomas, currently plays for TED Ankara Kolejliler
- Anthony Tucker, former professional basketball player
- Kyle Visser, basketball player who last played for Phantoms Braunschweig of the German Bundesliga
- Ty Walker, professional basketball player
- Ron Watts, former NBA player with Boston Celtics, 1966 NBA Champion
- Alondes Williams, NBA player for Miami Heat
- Coron Williams, professional basketball player
- L.D. Williams, former professional basketball player
- Eric Williams, professional basketball player
- Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic
- David Weaver, professional basketball player
- Keyshawn Woods, professional basketball player
- Loren Woods, professional basketball player
- Tony Woods, professional basketball player
- Danny Young, former NBA player for the Portland Trail Blazers
Golf
- Billy Andrade, PGA Tour
- Larry Beck, PGA Tour
- Jean Chua, professional golfer
- Darren Clarke, European Tour, PGA Tour
- Laura Diaz, LPGA Tour
- Alex Fitzpatrick, professional golfer, European Tour
- Brendan Gielow, professional golfer
- Bill Haas, PGA Tour
- Jay Haas, PGA Tour, Champions Tour
- Jerry Haas, PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, European Tour
- Gary Hallberg, PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, European Tour
- Scott Hoch, Ryder Cup
- Joe Inman, PGA Tour, Champions Tour
- Patty Jordan, LPGA Tour
- Ólafía Þórunn Kristinsdóttir, former professional golfer
- Brenda Corrie-Kuehn, former amateur golfer
- Rachel Kuehn, amateur golfer
- Jennifer Kupcho, LPGA Tour
- Ines Laklalech, professional golfer; LPGA Tour
- Carolina López-Chacarra, amateur golfer
- Len Mattiace, PGA Tour
- Emilia Migliaccio, amateur golfer
- Arnold Palmer, PGA Tour, Champions Tour, winner of seven major championships
- Marta Prieto, Ladies European Tour
- Kyle Reifers, PGA Tour
- Mimi Rhodes, professional golfer
- Webb Simpson, PGA Tour, winner of 2012 U.S. Open
- Curtis Strange, PGA Tour, Champions Tour, winner of the 1988 and 1989 U.S. Opens
- Lanny Wadkins, PGA Tour, Champions Tour, winner of 1977 PGA Championship
- Helen Wadsworth, Ladies European Tour
- Lauren Walsh, professional golfer
- Cheyenne Woods, Ladies European Tour, LPGA Tour; niece of Tiger Woods
- Cameron Young, professional golfer, PGA Tour
- Will Zalatoris, professional golfer, PGA Tour
Olympians
- Andy Bloom, Olympic shot putter
- Houry Gebeshian, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Michelle Kasold, field hockey, London 2012
- Hunter Kemper, triathlon, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics
- Brent LaRue, Olympic athlete
Soccer
- Anthony Arena, professional soccer player
- Luis Argudo, MLS soccer player who currently plays for Columbus Crew SC
- Cody Arnoux, professional soccer player
- Jon Bakero, Spanish soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire of Major league Soccer
- Corben Bone, professional soccer player for FC Cincinnati
- Evan Brown, retired professional soccer player
- Ryanne Brown, professional soccer player
- Brian Carroll, Major League Soccer, Philadelphia Union
- Ryan Caugherty, Korean retired professional soccer player
- Nick Courtney, professional soccer player for New York Athletic Club
- Neil Covone, retired professional soccer player
- Sam Cronin, professional soccer player who currently plays for Minnesota United of Major league Soccer
- Steven Curfman, American soccer player who currently plays for CASL Elite
- Austin da Luz, professional soccer player for North Carolina FC
- Bianca D'Agostino, retired professional soccer player
- Raimo de Vries, former professional soccer player
- Giovanna DeMarco, professional soccer player
- Ihor Dotsenko, retired Dutch-American soccer player
- Chris Duvall, professional soccer player for Portland Timbers of Major league Soccer
- Steven Echevarria, professional soccer player for New York Red Bulls II
- Brian Edwards, retired professional soccer player
- Chris Estridge, former professional soccer player
- Bayley Feist, professional soccer player
- Sam Fink, professional soccer player who currently plays for Saint Louis FC of USL
- Akira Fitzgerald, current professional soccer player for Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Kaley Fountain, professional soccer player
- Michael Gamble, current professional soccer player for Tulsa Roughnecks in USL
- John Hackworth, former professional soccer player, current head coach of the United States men's National Under-17 Soccer team
- Madison Hammond, professional soccer player
- Ally Haran, professional soccer player
- Ian Harkes, professional soccer player for D.C. United
- Jack Harrison, #1 overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, currently plays for Middlesbrough F.C. on loan from Manchester City F.C.
- Jacori Hayes, professional soccer player for FC Dallas
- William Hesmer, retired professional soccer player
- Kelvin Jones, former professional soccer player
- Stephen Keel, professional soccer player
- Aubrey Kingsbury, professional soccer player for Washington Spirit
- Michael Lahoud, professional soccer player for FC Cincinnati
- Michael Lisch, professional soccer player
- Amir Lowery, professional soccer player
- Andrew Lubahn, professional soccer player for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Zen Luzniak, former professional soccer player
- Collin Martin, professional soccer player for Minnesota United
- Trina Maso de Moya, former professional soccer player
- Kristen Meier, professional soccer player
- Nick Millington, retired professional soccer player
- Justin Moose, Major League Soccer, D.C. United
- Ben Newnam, professional soccer player
- Sean Okoli, professional soccer player for Landskrona BoIS
- Matthew Olson, retired professional soccer player
- Ike Opara, professional soccer player for Sporting Kansas City
- Marisa Park, professional soccer player
- Michael Parkhurst, 2005 Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year, New England Revolution
- Peyton Perea, professional soccer player
- Pat Phelan, Major League Soccer player for Toronto FC
- Kevin Politz, professional soccer player for New York Red Bulls
- Sam Raben, professional soccer player
- James Riley, Major League Soccer player for the New England Revolution
- Jalen Robinson, professional soccer player for D.C. United
- Andy Rosenband, professional soccer player for Chicago Storm
- Zack Schilawski, professional soccer player
- Scott Sealy, Major League Soccer player for the Kansas City Wizards
- Ryan Solle, professional soccer player
- Katie Stengel, professional soccer player for Utah Royals FC
- Wells Thompson, MLS player, Colorado Rapids
Tennis
- Siddhant Banthia, professional tennis player
- Bea Bielik, former professional tennis player
- Romain Bogaerts, Belgian tennis player
- Bar Tzuf Botzer, professional tennis player
- Petros Chrysochos, professional tennis player
- Rrezart Cungu, professional tennis player
- Laird Dunlop, former professional tennis player
- Menelaos Efstathiou, professional tennis player
- Borna Gojo, Croatian tennis player
- Mark Greenan, former professional tennis player
- Jeff Landau, 1994 U.S. amateur champion
- Skander Mansouri, professional tennis player
- Eduardo Nava, professional tennis player
- Cory Parr, former professional tennis player
- Noah Rubin, Wimbledon junior singles champion
- Christian Seraphim, German professional tennis player
Other alumni
- Emmanuel K. Akyeampong, professor of history and African-American studies at Harvard University
- Annie Bersagel, long distance runner
- Gregory Brooks, professional poker player
- Christopher Crittenden, former executive of the North Carolina Historical Commission
- Glenda Gilmore, historian of the American South at Yale University
- Claire Kretzschmar, ballet dancer and choreographer
Faculty
Current and former faculty
Academic faculty
- William Allan, genetics, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- John A. Allison IV, School of Business
- Karl-Erik Andersson, pharmacology, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
- Maya Angelou, American studies
- Anthony Atala, Urology
- Adrian Bardon, professor of philosophy
- Shari Barkin, Pediatrics
- Ruth Benca, Behavioral Medicine
- Margaret Bender, Anthropology
- Deborah L. Best, Psychology
- Rhoda Billings, Law
- Pasco Bowman II, Law
- Allison Brashear, Neurology
- Alfred Brauer, Mathematics
- Coy Cornelius Carpenter, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine of Wake Forest University from 1936 to 1967 and vice president for health affairs 1963–67
- David Carroll, Physics, Director of the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials
- Justin Catanoso, Journalism
- John Wesley Chandler, Philosophy
- Bobby Chesney, Law
- David Coates, Anglo-American Studies
- Paul M. Cobb, History
- Jennifer Collins, Law
- Carla Cotwright-Williams, Mathematics
- Brainerd Currie, Law
- Kate Daniels, Poetry
- Hue Davies, Chemistry
- Samuel A. Derieux, English
- James C. Eisenach, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Robinson Everett, Wake Forest School of Law
- David Faber, Art and printmaking
- Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Physics & Computer Science
- William Fleeson, Psychology
- Mary F. Foskett, Religious studies
- Julie Ann Freischlag, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Michele Gillespie, Southern History
- Cullen B. Gosnell, Political Science
- Roger S. Gottlieb, Jewish studies, Wake Forest University Divinity School
- Melissa Harris-Perry, Presidential Chair Professor of Politics and International Affairs
- Jay B. Hubbell, Literature
- Dan Locklair, Music and Composer-in-Residence
- Allen Mandelbaum, English and Humanities
- Hubert McNeill Poteat, B.A., M.A., PhD, professor of classics
- Suzanne Reynolds, Law
- Lawrence C. McHenry Jr., professor of neurology
- Earl Smith, professor
- Iyiola Solanke, visiting professor for European Union law
- Barry E. Stein, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- Barry Trachtenberg, Jewish studies
- Phyllis Trible, Wake Forest University School of Divinity
- Kent Vrana, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- Corey D. B. Walker, Wake Forest School of Divinity
- Jonathan L. Walton, dean of Wake Forest School of Divinity
- Sarah Watts, History
- Chris Webber, former NBA all-star, professor in practice for Masters of Arts in Sports program
- Robert Whaples, Economics
- Tanya Zanish-Belcher, professor, Director of Special Collections and Archives
Athletic faculty
- Jim Caldwell, coach of Wake Forest Football, current NFL head coach
- Dave Clawson, coach of Wake Forest Football
- Steve Forbes, head coach of Wake Forest men's basketball
- Megan Gebbia, current head coach of Wake Forest Women's basketball
- Jim Grobe, head coach of Wake Forest football, won ACC Coach of the Year
- Jennifer Hoover, head coach of Wake Forest Women's basketball
- Danny Manning, Wake Forest men's basketball coach
- Jack McCloskey, coach of Wake Forest men's basketball
- Dave Odom, coach of Wake Forest men's basketball, three-time ACC Coach of the Year
- Taylor Sanford, coach of Wake Forest Baseball
- Tom Walter, current coach of Wake Forest baseball