Willamette University - Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

Notable alumni from Willamette include a range of people involved in business, government, education, sports, art and entertainment.

Perhaps the most notable Willamette graduate is Dale T. Mortensen, the 2010 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Business men include James Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and Alex J. Mandl, the executive chairman of digital security company Gemalto. Those in the arts include Marie Watt, a contemporary artist whose work centers on Native American themes.

Thomas A. Bartlett, president of American University in Cairo attended Willamette for two years before completing his bachelor of arts at Stanford University. In his career, he has served as president of the Association of American Universities, president of Colgate University and chairman of the board of trustees of the United States–Japan Foundation. Another alum involved in the education arena is Norma Paulus. Paulus served as Oregon's superintendent of public instruction. Prior to this, she was the first woman to hold statewide elected office in Oregon as secretary of state.

Government officials who have graduated from Willamette include members from both the judicial and legislative branches of government. Oregon Supreme Court’s current chief justice, Paul De Muniz, graduated from the College of Law, as did his predecessor, Wallace P. Carson, Jr. Current Oregon State Supreme Court justice Virginia Linder also received her J.D. from Willamette. California Democratic congressman Sam Farr who successfully introduced the 2007 “Oceans Conservation, Education and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act” attended Willamette for his undergraduate studies. Mark O. Hatfield, Oregon's former governor and the longest serving Oregon senator, graduated from Willamette and later returned as a professor at his alma mater. Bob Packwood, former Republican senator graduated from Willamette University in 1954. Lisa Murkowski, senior Republican senator on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, also received her JD from Willamette University College of Law.

Notable alumni involved in athletics include Cal Lee, linebackers coach for the University of Hawaii football team, who graduated from Willamette in 1970. A graduate of the class of 1999, Liz Heaston, made history at Willamette as the first female to play and score in a men’s NAIA college football game in 1997. Nick Symmonds won seven NCAA Division III 800-meter championships during his undergraduate years at Willamette before going on to win the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials.