Notable UCR Alumni
UCR's more than 60,000 alumni have each made their mark in a variety of fields. Our distinguished alumni include a Nobel laureate, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a United States Ambassador, a Poet Laureate of the United States, and an Oscar nominated screenwriter. The following list gives just a sampling of those who have used their UCR education to make significant contributions to the world around us.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to UCR Alumnus Richard R. Schrock '67
Professor Schrock shares the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Robert H. Grubbs of Caltech and Yves Chauvin of the Institut Français du Pétrole in France for the “development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis.” These three distinguished scientists developed the chemical process called metathesis into one of organic chemistry’s most important reactions. The discoveries they made have had great influence on the pharmaceutical and plastics industries, enabling the production of drugs, polymers and other products more efficiently and with less hazardous waste. The specific contribution of Schrock was to produce an efficient catalyst for metathesis, a discovery that his laboratory made in 1990.
Mark Andrus '78 B.A. Economics, '79 M.Administration
Screenwriter, Twentieth Century FoxOscar-nominated screenwriter for "As Good As it Gets" (1997)
Other screenwriting credits include: "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (2002); "Life as a House" (2001); "Late for Dinner" (1991)
Ruben Barrales '84 Political Science and Administrative Studies
Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, The White House
Stephen Breen '92 B.A. Political Science
1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonistEditorial Cartoonist, San Diego Union-Tribune
Billy Collins '65 M.A., '71 Ph.D. English
Poet Laureate of the United States (2001 & 2002)Distinguished Professor of English, Lehman College at the City University of New York
James Eskridge '68 B.A. Economics
James A. and Sharen C. Eskridge Family FoundationFormer President, Mattel, Inc. and Fisher-Price, Inc.
Sally Fox '82 M.S. Pest Management
Founder, Vreseis, Ltd. and Natural Cotton ColoursDeveloped and patented FoxFibre® Cotton, naturally colored, organically grown cotton
Charles F. Gay '68 B.S. Chemistry, '79 Ph.D. Chemistry
Co-Founder, Greenstar; President, Greenstar Foundation; Senior Executive, Greenstar Corporation (Los Angeles)
Susan Elizabeth George '70 B.A. English
Internationally acclaimed mystery writer, whose books are often on the New York Times bestseller list (Lynley mystery series)
Ken Goddard '68 B.S. Biochemistry
Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory (the only full-service wildlife crime laboratory in the world). Author of seven mystery/forensic thrillers, including the New York Times bestseller, Balefire.
Rigoberto González '92 B.A. Humanities and Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Award-winning Poet and Professor of English and Latino Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
William A. Greenlaw '65 B.A. Social Sciences
Rector, Church of the Holy Apostles and Executive Director, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, New York, New York
Robert Horsch '74 B.S. Biology, '79 Ph.D. Genetics
Vice President for Product and Technology, Monsanto CompanyAwarded the 1998 National Medal of Technology by President Clinton for his contributions to the development of agricultural biotechnology.
Michael P. Huerta '78 B.A. Political Science
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, ACS State and Local Solutions, Inc.Former Commissioner, Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce, City of New York
S. Sue Johnson '62 B.A. History
Former Regent, University of California; Served as Chair of the Board of Regents 2000-02
Barbara E. Kerr '68 B.A. English
President, California Teachers Association
Lloyd Levine '92 B.A. Art
California Assembly Member, 40th District; Majority Whip, California State Assembly
Marigold Linton '58 B.A. Psychology
Director of American Indian Outreach, University of Kansas
Ann Maxwell '66 B.A. English
Evan Maxwell '65 B.A. Political Science
Authors of romance, futuristic, contemporary and mystery novels
Evan Maxwell '65 B.A. Political Science
Gary McCord '71 B.S. Economics
Professional Golfer (on senior tour) and CBS Golf Analyst
Carole Nagengast '74 B.S. Anthropology, '78 M.A. Anthropology
Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Former Chair, Amnesty International Board of Directors
Ronald E. Neumann '66 B.A. History, '67 M.A. Political Science
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United State of America to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; Former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria and Bahrain
Tina Nova '82 Ph.D. Biochemistry
President, CEO and Founder of GenOptix, her fourth biotechnology company start-up. Appointed to the Small Business Reform Task Force by Governor Gray Davis (June 2001). Involved in UCR's proposal for a California Institute for Agricultural Genomics from the California Institutes for Science and Innovation (Cal ISI).
Rod Pacheco '80 B.A. Political Science and Sociology
District Attorney, Riverside County Former California State Assembly Member, 64th District
William H. Plummer '67 B.A. Political Science
President and Founder, Frontier Risk ManagementPhilanthropist, Chicago Arts Community
Byron H. Pollitt, Jr. '73 B.S. Economics
Executive Vice President and CFO, Gap, Inc.Former CFO, Walt Disney Attractions
Henry Ramsey, Jr. '60 B.A. Philosophy
Dispute Resolution ConsultantFormer Dean, Howard University School of Law
Former Superior Court Judge, County of Alameda
Arthur D. Riggs '60 B.A. Chemistry and Microbiology
President and CEO, City of Hope's Beckman Research Institute
Gloria Romero '80 M.A., '83 Ph.D. Psychology
California State Senator, 24th District
Oliver A. Ryder '69 B.A. Biology
Kleberg Chair in GeneticsCenter for Reproduction of Endangered Species, Zoological Society of San Diego
Don Shields '59 B.A. Chemistry
Former President, Cal State University Fullerton and Southern Methodist University
Shannon Troetel '90 B.A. History
Senior Producer, CNN
Charles E. Young '55 B.A. Political Science
President, Qatar Foundation for Education Science and Community DevelopmentChancellor Emeritus, UCLA