List of Pepperdine University people

The following is a list of notable people associated with Pepperdine University, located in the American city of Malibu, California.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Notable alumni

Academia

• Mike Aamodt (B.A., 1978) – industrial and organizational psychology researcher
• Christopher Chetsanga (B.S., 1964) – Zimbabwean scientist who discovered two enzymes that repair damage to DNA
• Michael A. O'Donnell – adolescent wellness researcher
• Michael Shermer (B.A., 1976) – founder of The Skeptics Society
• Kirk Snyder (M.A., 1991) – LGBT business communication researcher

Business

• Sophia Hutchins (B.S., 2019) – chief executive officer of LUMASOL and Executive Director of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation
• Rick J. Caruso (J.D., 1983) – chief executive officer of Caruso Affiliated
• Benjamin de Rothschild (1984) – Chairman of the Edmond de Rothschild Group
• Julia Hartz (B.A., 2001) – Founder and CEO of Eventbrite
• George Randolph Hearst III (B.A. 1977) publisher of the Times Union newspaper in Albany, New York and director of the Hearst corporation
• Rod Menzies (MBA, 1988) – entrepreneur
• Oscar Munoz (M.B.A., 1986) – president and CEO of United Airlines
• Greg Popovich (M.B.A. 1996) – owner of Castle Rock Winery
• Nicolette Rankin – entrepreneur
• Jeffrey Sprecher – founder and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange and current chairman of the New York Stock Exchange
• Dean Stoecker – founder, chairman and former CEO of Alteryx
• Robert Tchenguiz (LL.B., 1982) – London-based property tycoon
• Neil Clark Warren (1956) – chairman and co-founder of eHarmony.com
• Kelly Zong (B.A., 2004) – president of the Hangzhou Wahaha Group founded by her father, Zong Qinghou
• Wishnu Wardhana – chairman of PT Teladan Resources

Entertainment

• Nicole Kidman – actress
• Les Baxter – soundtrack and exotica composer
• Brittany Dawn Brannon – Miss Teen America 2007 and Miss Arizona 2010
• D.J. Caruso – film director
• Marshall Colt – actor, McClain's Law; later marriage and family therapist in San Diego
• Chace Crawford – actor, Gossip Girl The Boys
• Andrew de Burgh – film director, Just One Drink
• Pat Dubar – singer, Mind Funk
• Cami Edwards – cast member, Laguna Beach
• Douglas Emerson – former child actor, The Blob and Beverly Hills, 90210
• Kim Fields (1995) – actress, U.S. TV sitcoms The Facts of Life and Living Single
• Kimberly Forsyth – Miss Arkansas USA 2006
• Brad Fuller – video game composer (M.S. technology management 2006)
• Lillian Glass – author, TV commentator, body language expert
• Madison Hildebrand – star of Bravo Channel's Million Dollar Listing
• Darby Hinton – actor, Daniel Boone
• Porntip Nakhirunkanok (Bui Simon) – Miss Universe 1988 and Miss Thailand 1988
• Kelly Hu – Miss Teen USA 1985 and actress
• Ashley Jones – television actress, The Bold and the Beautiful
• Montell Jordan – R&B recording artist famous for his hit 1995 single, "This is How We Do It"
• Till Kahrs – recording artist, singer-songwriter, communication skills expert
• Marlene King – television writer, creator of Pretty Little Liars
• John Lasseter – animator and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Entertainment
• Carla Laureano – RITA award-winning author of Five Days in Skye
• Coco Lee – member of K-pop duo CocoSori
• Jeff Loveness – screenwriter, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Rick and Morty, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
• Chloe Lukasiak – Dance Moms
• Kate Mansi – television actress, Days of Our Lives
• Rob Moore – Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures
• Shana Morrison – singer/songwriter
• Tahj Mowry – television actor, the WB's Smart Guy and ABC Family's Baby Daddy
• Tamera Mowry – television actress, ABC and The WB Sister, Sister, Lifetime Television's Strong Medicine, and co-host and producer of The Real
• Tia Mowry – television actress, ABC and WB sitcom Sister, Sister, BET's The Game and Netflix's Family Reunion
• Brandy Norwood – Grammy Award-winning R&B artist, television, movie and Broadway actress, UPN sitcom Moesha , BET's The Game and Kennedy Center's Chicago
• Eric Christian Olsen – actor
• Mike Richards – executive producer, The Price Is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!
• Elena Rossini – filmmaker, documentary film The Illusionists
• Meredith Salenger – actress
• George Schlatter – Emmy-winning television producer and director, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
• Francesca Marie Smith – voice actress, Helga Pataki on Hey Arnold!
• Matt "Money" Smith – southern California sports radio personality
• Clayton Snyder – actor, sitcom Lizzie McGuire
• Michael Waldron – screenwriter, Rick and Morty, Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
• David N. Weiss – screenwriter, The Rugrats Movie, Shrek 2, The Smurfs

Literature and the arts

• Pierce Brown – author of the sci-fi dystopian Red Rising series
• Sharon M. Draper – realistic fiction and Young-adult fiction novelist
• Jamie J. Quatro – literary fiction writer
• Rebecca Zanetti – romance novelist

Fine arts

• Kevin A. Short – painter and printmaker

Media

• Michelle Fields (B.A., 2011) – political reporter
• Stefan Holt (B.A., 2009) – news anchor for WNBC-TV, New York
• Adam Housley (B.A. 1994) – national correspondent for Fox News Channel, Los Angeles correspondent, former Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers baseball player; Emmy winner
• Anna Song (B.A., 1999) – KATU investigative reporter, weekend anchor (1999–present), 2007 Emmy for Human Interest News Series, 2007 Regional Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting
• Bill Weir – co-anchor of ABC News Nightline
• Joel Widzer (B.S., 1986) – author and correspondent, MSNBC
• Zafar Sobhan, Editor of the Dhaka Tribune

Politics and government

• André Birotte Jr. (J.D., 1991) – Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, 2014–present
• Rod Blagojevich (J.D., 1983) – Governor of Illinois, 2003–2009
• Jeffrey Boyd (J.D., 1991) – Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, 2012–present; former editor-in-chief of the Pepperdine Law Review
• Mike Cernovich (J.D., 2004) – political commentator, social media personality, and conspiracy theorist.
• Talis Colberg (J.D., 1983) – Attorney General of Alaska, 2006–2009
• Chris DeRose (J.D., 2005) – Clerk of the Superior Court of Maricopa County, Arizona, 2018–2019
• Jennifer Dorsey (J.D., 1997) – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, 2013–present
• Paris Dennard (B.A., 2005) – Republican Party political strategist
• Colleen Graffy (B.A., 1979) – U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, 2005–2009
• Ivan Doly Gultom (1991) – member of the People's Representative Council of Indonesia, 2017–present
• James Hahn (B.A., 1972; J.D., 1975) – Mayor of Los Angeles, 2001–2005; Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, 2008–present
• Janice Hahn – U.S. Representative, 2011–2016, California's 36th Congressional District and California's 44th Congressional District; Supervisor of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 2016–present
• Brian Jack (B.A., 2010) – White House Political Director, 2019–2021
• Ted Kanavas – State Senator, Wisconsin State Senate, 2001–2011
• Michelle King – superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, 2016-2018
• Joel Kleefisch (B.A., 1993) – State Representative, Wisconsin State Assembly, 2005–2019
• Jami Miscik (1980) – director of the Office of International Affairs, CIA
• Khalid Abdul Muhammad – African-American black nationalist who came to prominence as a leader in the Nation of Islam and then the New Black Panther Party; after a racially inflammatory 1993 speech at Kean College, was condemned and removed from his position in the Nation of Islam by Louis Farrakhan
• Danielle Outlaw – chief of the Portland Police Bureau
• Bernard C. Parks – Los Angeles City Councilman, 8th District, former Los Angeles police chief
• Todd Russell Platts (J.D., 1991) – U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania, 2001–2013
• Amb. Pierre-Richard Prosper (J.D., 1989) – United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues
• Robin Sax (J.D., 1997) – author, legal analyst, victim advocate, former prosecutor for Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
• Diana Shaw – acting Inspector General of the Department of State
• Arthur K. Snyder – Los Angeles City Council member, 1967–1985
• Michelle Steel (B.S., 1997) – U.S. Representative, 2021–present, CA-48
• Kinga Tshering (MBA) – Bhutanese politician and businessman
• Brandon Williams (politician) (B.A., 1990) – U.S. Representative, 2023–present, NY-22
• Kimberly Yee – Arizona State Treasurer, 2019–present
• Widiyanti Putri Wardhana – Minister of Tourism of Indonesia, 2024–present

Religion

• Paul Egertson (B.A., 1955) – Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Sports

Luisa Stefani ,Tennis player, first Brazilian to win a medal in Olympic tennis and first Brazilian woman to win a mixed doubles title at the Australian Open

Yakhouba Diawara

Brad Gilbert

Noah Lowry

Jon Moscot

• Alex Acker (2005) – professional basketball player (2005–06; 2008–09 Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers)
• Brandon Armstrong (2001) – former professional basketball player (2001–04; New Jersey Nets)
• Sarah Attar – Olympic 800 meter runner
• Dain Blanton (1994) – 2000 Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball
• Ricardo Brown (1980) – basketball player drafted in 1979 by Houston Rockets; Southern California Player of the Year in 1979; played professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association (1983–90); member of PBA Hall of Fame (2009) and Pepperdine University Hall of Fame (1995)
• Richard Cho – former General Manager of Portland Trail Blazers
• Doug Christie (1992) – retired professional basketball player (1992–2007; Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers)
• Bob Ctvrtlik (1985) – 1988 Olympic gold medal volleyball team member, member of International Olympic Committee
• Yakhouba Diawara (2005) – power forward for the Miami Heat
• Craig Edwards – former professional tennis player, semi-finalist in doubles at 1980 Australian Open.
• Eddie Edwards – former professional tennis player, 42 ATP singles, 40 ATP doubles
• Barry Enright (2007) – pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Jim Everett – former NFL QB, received his MBA from Pepperdine
• Mike Fetters – former professional baseball player (1989–2004; California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins)
• Greg Genske – sports agent
• Brad Gilbert (1982) – former world # 4 tennis player; prominent coach of Andre Agassi, Andy Murray
• Jason Gore (2000) – professional golfer
• Dan Haren – professional baseball player; 2007 A.L. All Star Starting Pitcher (Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
• Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen – former professional tennis player who holds the all-time match winning percentage at Pepperdine
• Kim Hill (2013) – USA Volleyball National Team
• Adam Housley (1994) – former professional minor league baseball player, drafted by the Montreal Expos
• Katherine Hull (2003) – professional golfer
• Daniel Johnson (2008) – professional basketball player (Adelaide 36ers, Australasian NBL)
• Dennis Johnson (1976) – Basketball Hall of Famer, former professional basketball player (1977–90; Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics)
• Danielle Kang – 6-time LPGA Tour winner, including 2017 Women's PGA Championship
• Chad Kreuter – former professional baseball player (1988–2003; Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Anaheim Angels, Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Jennifer Lacy – professional basketball player, Phoenix Mercury and Atlanta Dream
• Robert Lansdorp – professional tennis coach who coached several players to #1 in the world
• Martin Laurendeau – former professional tour tennis player
• Mike Leach – head football coach at Texas Tech 2000–2009, Washington State 2012–2019 and Mississippi State 2020–2022
• Noah Lowry – professional baseball player (San Francisco Giants)
• Stacy Margolin (born 1959) – tennis player
• Boaz Merenstein (born 1970) – Israeli tennis player
• Glenn Michibata – former professional tour tennis player
• Tim Montez (1984) – college baseball coach of Jacksonville
• Jon Moscot – American-Israeli major league baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds)
• Merrill Moses (2000) – water polo goalie for USA national team (2008 Olympic silver medalist)
• David Newhan – professional baseball player (Houston Astros)
• Will Ohman – professional baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Leo Palin – former professional tennis player, 92 singles ATP, 111 doubles ATP
• Rob Picciolo – former professional baseball player (1977–85; Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers and California Angels)
• Steve Rodriguez, major league infielder for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers; player and head coach for the Waves baseball team
• Sean Rooney (2004) – USA men's national volleyball team, 2008 gold medalist
• Dane Sardinha – professional baseball player (Detroit Tigers)
• Mike Scott – former professional baseball player (1979–91; New York Mets and Houston Astros) and winner of the 1986 NL Cy Young Award
• Jesse Smith – USA men's water polo Olympic team 2000, 2004, 2008 (2008 Olympic silver medalist)
• João Soares – former professional tennis player. 74 ATP singles. 49 ATP doubles.
• Andy Stankiewicz – former professional baseball player (1992–98; New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos and Arizona Diamondbacks)
• Jackson Stormo (born 1999) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Andrew Sznajder – former professional tour tennis player
• Eric Thames – professional baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers
• Sahith Theegala – 1-time PGA Tour winner. Current defending Fortinet Champion
• Malcolm Thomas – professional basketball player for Utah Jazz
• Derek Wallace – former professional baseball player (1996–99; New York Mets and Kansas City Royals)
• Robbie Weiss – former professional tennis player
• Lynn Williams (soccer) – professional soccer player, member of USWNT
• Randy Wolf – professional baseball player
• Danny Worth – professional baseball player (Detroit Tigers)

Notable faculty

• Geraldine Decker – opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera
• Craig Detweiler – director of Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture
• Joel S. Fetzer – distinguished professor of political science
• Allen Fox (born 1939) – tennis player (ranked as high as # 4) and coach
• Bruce Herschensohn (born 1932) – senior fellow School of Public Policy
• Linda Livingstone – dean of the Graziadio School of Business and Management (2002–2014)
• Merrill Moses (born 1977) – associate head coach in water polo, three-time Olympian and silver medalist
• Christopher Parkening – distinguished professor of music
• L. Timothy Perrin – former law school vice dean (2007–2012), former president of sister school Lubbock Christian University (2012–2019)
• Kenneth Starr – former law school dean
• Ben Stein – law professor (1990–97)
• Eliot Teltscher (born 1959) – professional tennis player
• Cornel West (born 1953) – philosopher, political activist, social critic, actor, and public intellectual

External links

• Pepperdine University Alumni Association