Notable Alumni

Marian Anderson H'58
The first African American singer to perform at the White House and the Metropolitan Opera

Cindy Blackman Santana M'79 (A&S)

American jazz and rock drummer

Janet Arms '81 (Hartt)
Fluest, faculty member, and 2019 Anchor Award Recipient

Papa Asante '11 (CETA)
Founder of The LAB Media Empire LLC, a recording studio and rehersal space and a 2019 Anchor Award Recipient

Kalena Bovell MM'14, GPD'15 (Hartt)
Assistant conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; conductor of the Memphis Youth Symphony

Ronnie S. Bowman Jr. '17 (Hartt)
Broadway actor

Peter Boyer M'93 (Hartt), D'95 (Hartt)
Composer, orchestrator, and conductor, whose Grammy-nominated work Ellis Island: The Dream of America will be featured on PBS's Great Performances series in the 2017–18 season

Phillip Boykin '95 (Hartt)
American bass-baritone, Broadway, opera, film, and stage actor

Steve Collins '89 (Hartt)
President and CEO, Hartford Symphony Orchestra; Anchor Award recipient

Misty Copeland H'14
The first African American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre

Franc D'Ambrosio '81 (Hartt)
Broadway actor who gained distinction as the world's longest running Phantom in Phantom of the Opera

Steve Davis '89 (Hartt)
Jazz trombonist

Mark Dion '86 (HAS)
Noted artist

Christine Dwyer '07 (Hartt)
Broadway actress who played Elphaba in the musical Wicked

Nikki Giovanni H'20 
World-renowned poet

Ryan Speedo Green '08 (Hartt)
Bass-baritone opera singer

Marin Ireland '00 (Hartt) 
Actress who won the 2009 Theatre World Award and was a Tony Nominee for her performance in Reasons to be Pretty

Jae Yong Kim '98 (HAS)
Visual artist and sculptor

Peggy Lyman Hayes '06, H'11 (Hartt)
Helped found the Dance Division of The Hartt School and director from 2001–04; former principal dancer at the Martha Graham Dance Company

Douglas Lyons '09 (Hartt)
Actor, writer, director, composer, and playwright; credits include The Book of Mormon and Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, and his Broadway play Chicken and Biscuits

Annette Lemieux '81 (HAS)
Visual artist; senior lecturer on art, film, and visual studies, Harvard University

Nancy Bergman Pantirer '77 (HAS)
Visual artist

Shane Shanahan M'98 (Hartt)
Two-time Grammy award-winning percussionist and original member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble

Timothy Stella '75 (Hartt)
Musician, musical director, and associate conductor of Broadway's Phantom of the Opera

Arthur Ashe H'90

Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985 and the first black player selected for the U.S. Davis Cup and only black man ever to win Wimbledon, the US Open, and Australian Open. 

Jeff Bagwell
National Baseball Hall of Fame member, former all-star for the Houston Astros

Vin Baker
Former NBA All-Star

Kathy Behrens '85 (ENHP)
President of Social Responsibility and Player Programs for the National Basketball Association

Matt Bessette '07 (A&S)
Mixed martial artist in Bellator

Lou D'Angeli A'94 (Hillyer), '95 (A&S)
Extreme Championship and WWE professional wrestler

Danielle Hood '08
First UHart athlete to be drafted to the WNBA in 2008

Jerry Kelley '89 (Barney)
PGA Senior Tour professional

Gary LaRocque '75 (ENHP)
Director of player development for the St. Louis Cardinals

Sean Newcomb
Professional baseball player in the Atlanta Braves system, 2014 first-round draft pick

Tim Petrovic '88 (A&S)
PGA professional

Latasha Jarrett Raineault '08 D'10 (ENHP)
UHart's only recipient of the NCAA Division 1 Sportswoman of the Year Award

Christopher Albert M'10 (Barney)
Partner, Deloitte Tax, LLP; 2020 Anchor Award recipient

Don Allan '86 (Barney)
Senior Vice President and CFO, Stanley, Black and Decker

Abdulaziz AlOtham '14 (CETA)
Management consultant, Strategy and Transformation, Ernst & Young;
2020 Anchor Award recipient

Thomas O. Barnes Sr. '72 (Barney)
Chair, Barnes Group Foundation

Andrew Block '90 (Barney)
CEO of DariFair Foods, known for inventing Reddi-Whip

Richard Booth '69 (Barney), M'77 (Barney), H'05
Retired Chairman, President, and CEO, Hartford Steam Boiler

Mark Boxer '83 (CETA), '83 (A&S)
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, University of Hartford;
Retired Executive Vice President and Global CIO, CIGNA Corporation

Richard Cardin '62 (A&S)
Retired Head of Corporate Human Relations, UPS

Jean-Louis Chave '90 (Barney)
Owner, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave winery

David Cordani M'95 (Barney)
President and CEO, Cigna

June Ressler Coldren '77 (HAS)
Founder and President of Cenergy International Services, a woman-owned, global provider of specialized personnel for the oil and gas industry

Gino Cordone '14 (CETA)
Founder of Pleasant Podcasts, a podcast editing and recording company

Stephen Dalyai '61 (Ward), A'09 (CETA), '13 (CETA) 
President and CEO of Quindar Electronics, Inc., credited with the introduction of the first transistor voice frequency

Diana Delva '10 (Barney)
Founder, Chèlbè

John Dillon '66 (Barney)
Senior Advisor Evercore, Former CEO International Paper

Brett Gerstenblatt '94 (HAS)
Enterprise Creative Director for CVS Corporation, responsible for the campaign that ended the sale of tobacco products at all of its stores

Kenneth Glueck '89 (A&S)
Executive vice president, Oracle Corporation

Jeff Goffman '80 (Barney)
Chairman and CEO of the Integrated Oncology Network

Allyn Golub '62 (A&S)
Vice President of Clinical and Technical Affairs, Key Pharmaceuticals

John Harris M'83 (Barney)
Historian, author and former President and CEO of Quality Time Video, Inc.

Nicole Hughey M'99 (Barney)
Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion at SiriusXM + Pandora

Francis "Frank" X. Hursey A'73 (CETA), '77 (CETA)
President and Founder of On Site Gas Systems, Co-Founder of Z-Medica, and inventor of QuikClot

Julie Jansen '81 (A&S)
2017 Anchor Award recipient

Martin John '92, M'94
Senior VP, Head of Financial Planning and Analysis, Hartford Steam Boiler

Rachna Khanna M'03 (Barney)
Founder and managing partner, Rachna Khanna Law, LLC; real estate investor; 2020 Anchor Award recipient

Justin Ross Lee '06 (Barney), M'08 (Barney)
Socialite and businessman

David Nord '79 (Barney)
CEO and President, Hubbell, Inc

Jerry Orefice '66 (Barney)
President, JA Orefice and Company

Valerie Orsoni '91 (Barney)
CEO and founder of LeBootCamp.com; CEO and founder of Lili Warrior; and author

Chuck Pagano '84 (CETA), M'07 (A&S)
Former Executive Vice President of Technology and Chief Technology Officer, ESPN

Anne Parthiot-Mons '91 (Barney), M'92 (Barney)
President, Permal Group SAS

Mary Silva '11 (Barney)
2017 Anchor Award Recipient

Deverell Smith '00 (Ward)
Retail real estate and development, Apple, Inc.

Ruth Smith '81 (A&S), M'86 (Barney)
Executive Vice President, National Life Group

Kristiana Spaulding '90 (Hillyer)
Founder, Silver Trailer

Evaristo Stanziale '87 (Barney)
Founding Partner and Senior Vice President, SCS Commodities

Jeffrey Wolf '82 (A&S)
Partner and internationally recognized franchise law attorney at Quarles & Brady

Scott Bradlee '08 (Hartt)
Founder and band member of the musical group Postmodern Jukebox

Alex Briley
The "military man" from the band Village People

Tina Chen (A&S)
Stage, film, and television actress, director, and producer

Javier Colon '00 (Hartt)
Singer and songwriter who won NBC's reality singing competition The Voice

Justin Foley M'01 (Hartt)
Drummer for the Grammy-nominated metal band Killswitch Engage

Jim Ford '04 (Hartt)
Actor and stuntman

Ben Golder-Novick '03 (Hartt)
Saxophonist and member of Postmodern Jukebox

Jimmy Greene '97 (Hartt)
Grammy-nominated musician and performer

A.J. Hammer '88 (Barney)
Radio personality and television host of CNN's Showbiz Tonight

Liane Hansen H'07
Host of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday

Jack Hardy '70 (A&S)
Singer and songwriter

Jonathan Lee Iverson '98 (Hartt)
First African-American ringmaster of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Adam Kubota '04 (Hartt)
Bassist and member of Postmodern Jukebox

Tony Leone '92 (Hartt)
Professional rock/country drummer

Brandon Korn A'11 (Hillyer)
Music Producer at Sony/ATV Music Publishing and owner of Bkorn Music Productions LLC; Grammy nominated for Best Album in the Rap/Hip-Hop category; RIAA 3x Platinum Certified Producer; 2017 BMI London Music Award Winner

Kent McCray '51 (Hartt), H'07
Television industry pioneer, produced numerous successful series for television and film

Michael Mongillo '90 (HAS)
Award-winning film director and screen writer

Keir O'Donnell '00 (Hartt)
Actor who has appeared in such movies as The Wedding Crashers and American Sniper

Jerell Parker '04 (A&S)
Senior VP?Midwest Regional Manager, CBS Media Ventures; Director, First Step YOuth Foundation; Anchor Award recipient

David Pritikin '94 (A&S)
Emmy-award winning producer of reality TV shows, including Deadliest Catch, Sarah Palin's Alaska, and Survivor

Barry Sandrew, PhD '70 (A&S)
Founder, Legend3D (formerly Legend Films; entrepreneur and digital imaging and visual effects pioneer; CTO, Aria Network; Director of Entrepreneurship, Westcliff University; neuroscientist

Dionne Warwick H'86
Grammy-Award winning singer, actress and television show host.

Orin Wolf '01
President, NETworks Productions, current University Regent

David Bosso M'04 (ENHP)
Social Studies teacher at Berlin High School, 2021 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, 2019 Inductee to the National Teacher Hall of Fame

Mark Benigni M'96, D'01 (ENHP)
Superintendent of Meriden Public Schools; Mayor of the City of Meriden 2001–08

Angela Davis H'18
Academic, activist and author

Joxel Garcia '99 (Barney)
Former President and Dean, Ponce Medical School

Seymour Itzkoff A'48 (Hillyer), '50 (A&S)
Professor and researcher in intelligence

Katharina Lindner '03, M'05 (A&S)
Lecturer in film and media and member, Centre for Gener & Feminist Studies, University of Stirling, UK; published author; former player, Glasgow City FC; namesake, The Kat Lindner Award for Outstanding Athletics & Academic Achievement, Scottish Women's Football; 2020 Anchor Awards recipient (posthumous)

Kevin J. McDonald D’11
Director of Choral Music at Wellesley High School; 2-time semifinalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award

Steve Minkler '86, M'00, D'08 (A&S, ENHP)
Chief Executive Officer, Middlesex Community College

Bernie Rosen '61, M'66 (ENHP)
Retired teacher and administrator serving Connecticut schools; 2020 Anchor Award recipient; and namesake for the University of Hartford's Rosen Society

Heather Fraser '99 (CETA)
Architecture and planning project manager; 2017 Anchor Award Recipient

Leslie Haines '85 (CETA)
Structural/project engineer; 2017 Anchor Award Recipient

Lisa O'Conner '95, M'98, D'06 (ENHP)
Dean of the School of Nursing at Quinnipiac University

Leonard Boyle '80 (A&S)
Director of the Terrorist Screening Center for the FBI

The Honorable John Danaher M'77 (A&S)
Connecticut Superior Court Judge and former Commissioner of the State of Connecticut Department of Public Safety

The Honorable Robert N. Davis '75 (A&S)
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Francisco Flores A'79 (Hillyer), H'00
Former President of El Salvador

Jessica Floyd '18 (A&S)
Politics producer and correspondent at TheGrio

Sonya Halpern '90 (Barney)
Georgia State Senator; Anchor Award recipient

Katherine Hammack M'90 (Barney)
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy, and Environment), U.S. Department of Defense

Sidney Kaplan '69 (Hartt)
Retired foreign service officer, U.S. Department of State; member, 43rd Senior Seminar, Department of State; fellow, Academy of Public Administration; 2020 Anchor Award recipient

Bernard Kavaler '79 M'88 (A&S)
President of the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government; serves on the board of Leadership Greater Hartford; 2018 Anchor Award Recipient

Valerie Lewis H'08
Retired Commissioner of Higher Education, State of Connecticut

Mia Love '97 (Hartt)
U.S. House of Representatives, representing Utah's 4th House District

Douglas McCrory '88, M'95
State senator serving Connecticut's 2nd District

Constance Baker Motley H'73
Lead trial attorney in many significant U.S. civil rights cases and the first African American woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court and to become a federal judge

William J. Murphy '85 (A&S)
Former Speaker of the House for the State of Rhode Island

Richard Neal M'76 (Barney)
U.S. House of Representatives, representing Massachusetts' 1st House District

Jackalyne Pfannenstiel M'78 (Barney)
Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Energy, Installations and Environment, U.S. Department of the Navy

James C. Rovella '80, M'87 (A&S, Barney)
Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection

Jack Swigert Jr. M'67 (Barney)
Former NASA astronaut and Colorado Congressman-Elect

Glynda Carr '96 (Hartt)
Co-founder of Higher Heights; 2018 Anchor Award Recipient

Barbara and Leib Lurie '76 M'81 (Barney)
Co-founder of Kids Read Now (KRN); 2019 Anchor Award Recipient

Nelba Márquez-Greene '97 (Hartt)
Founder, The Ana Grace Project; Intervention specialist, Capitol Region Education Council; 2020 Distinguished Alumna Award recipient

Bayard Rustin H'79
Organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Donald Shaw M'77 (Barney)
2018 Anchor Award Recipient

Samantha Belotte '06 (Barney)
Creator and founder of Love Bites

Chantell Boissiere-Kelly M'05 (A&S)
Owner of Capital Ice Cream and teacher

Brian Bugnacki '05 (Barney)
Co-Founder of Alvarium Beer Company

Naima Craft '07, D'10 (ENHP)
Owner of The Craft

Marshall Epstein '74 (Barney)
Co-owner of Rosedale Farms and Vineyards

Frank Finelli '15 (Barney)
Founder of Doughwich

Andrea Hawkins M'08 (Barney)
Owner of Berkin Blend

Suzie Hunter '14 (A&S) and Amanda Zwirn '14 (Hartt)
Creators of Nacho Scout

Sara Mellas '14 (Hartt)
Author of The Easy Baked Donut Cookbook, The One-Pot Casserole Cookbook, and the Quick and Easy Breakfast Cookbook

Toni Moshen '07 (HAS)
Owner of Sweet T's Bakeshop

Chris Sayer '15 (Barney)
Founder of Brewery Legitimus

John Simonian '87 (A&S)
Owner of Beanstock Coffee

Nicole Steinhilber '13 (A&S)
Founder of Craft Solutions Consulting and lab manager of Edmund's Last Brewing Company

Chaz Davis '16 (A&S)
In 2016, he ran in the Rio Paralympics, then set a new American marathon record for the T12/B2 visual impairment category. 

Jake Fay '16 (A&S)
Director, screenwriter

Luis A. Garcia-Altagracia M'19 (CETA)
Transportation engineer trainee at the Connecticut Department of Transportation

Mimi Gonzalez A'15 '17 M'18 (Hillyer, A&S)
Activist and organizer, participated in the Obama Foundation Community Leadership Program in 2019. Read more about Gonzalez.

Mohammad Manzur Murshid M'18 (CETA)
Senior robotics and software engineer at SubUAS LLC

Bryson Owens '18 M'20 (A&S)
Associate video producer for Newsweek