20 Famous Brown Alumni Who Changed the World

Brown University currently ranks as the 6th best university in the United States. Known for its open curriculum with a high level of academic freedom, Brown has produced many notable alumni in the 260 years of its establishment. The most popular majors at Brown include Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics and successful graduates have come from a wide range of programs. This page will discuss 20 of the most influential Brown University alumni, from world famous actors to pioneering entrepreneurs.

World Leaders and Politicians

Lincoln Chafee

Lincoln Chafee is an American politician who has held several senior political roles since 1993. Chafee graduated Brown University in 1975 with a Bachelor’s in classics where he also captained the college’s wrestling team. After a career in local politics which culminated in being the Mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island from 1993 to 1999, Chafee entered the U.S. Senate. As a member of the Republican party, Lincoln Chafee sat as a senator for eight years before becoming the Governor of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015. He then moved to the Democratic party and sought to be the candidate for presidential election in 2015 and 2020, but was unsuccessful both times.

Bobby Jindal

Bobby Jindal is an American politician who graduated Brown University at the age of 20 with honours in two majors (Biology and Public Policy) in 1992. After his studies, Jindal pursued a political career in which he served as a U.S. representative from Louisiana from 2005 to 2008 and then the 55th governor of Louisiana until 2016.

Victoria Nuland

Victoria Nuland is an American diplomat and politician. Nuland earned a Bachelor’s degree from Brown in 1983 in Russian literature, political science and history. As a multilingualist, she can speak English, Russian, French and a little Chinese. Nuland has served under four different presidential administrations in a range of roles such as the U.S. ambassador to NATO and, more recently, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2021 to 2024.

Scientists

Nicanor Parra

Nicanor Parra (1914 – 2018) was a Chilean physicist and poet. After education in Chile, Parra enrolled in Brown University in 1943 to study physics before returning to his home country to become a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Chile from 1952 to 1991. In addition to his prowess in the field of physics, Parra was also a highly influential poet and published dozens of books.

Andy Hertzfeld

Andy Hertzfeld is an American software and computer engineer who graduated from Brown University in 1975 with a degree in computer science. After purchasing an Apple II and developing software for it, Apple Inc. noticed his talents and hired him in 1979. Hertzfeld worked for Apple for five years where he helped develop the initial Machintosh system. After leaving the company, he co-founded three companies and worked for eight years at google.

Entrepreneurs

Ted Turner 

Ted Turner is an American entrepreneur and television producer most famous for founding the news channel Cable News Network (CNN). Turner attended Brown University where he was active in the debating union and studied economics, however, before graduating he was expelled for having a female student in his dorm room. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Turner worked for his fathers bussiness before founding CNN in 1979 which is now worth around $10 billion. 

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller (1839 – 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist who was one of the wealthiest Americans of all time. After studying bookkeeping, and several business ventures, Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870. Through his leadership and innovative business strategies, Standard Oil became the wealthiest company in the U.S.. After retirement, Rockefeller used his weath for philanthropy which included promoting education through his General Education Board and provided significant financial support to universities like Brown.

John Scully

John Scully is an American businessman and entrepreneur. Scully studied Archetectural Design at Brown University and shortly after joined PepsiCo in a training program. By 1970, he rose to become the company’s youngest marketing vice-president and subsequently served as the company’s president from 1977 to 1983. Moving into Silicon Valley, Scully became CEO of Apple Inc. in 1983 and held the position for 10 years. He was named as Silicon Valley’s top paid executive in 1987.

Dara Khosrowshahi

Dara Khosrowshahi is an Iranian-American businessman and CEO. Khosrowshahi graduated with a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Brown University in 1987 before moving into business where he achieved great success. Khosrowshahi rose to become CEO of Expedia Group from 2004 to 2017 before accepting the position of CEO for Uber. Khosrowshahi is one of the highest paid CEO’s in America.

Sportsmen 

Joe Paterno

Joseph Paterno (1926 – 2012) was an American college football player and coach. Paterno attended Brown University in 1946 where he played football as the quarterback and a cornerback. Recognised for his talents, Paterno was recruited as an assistant football coach by Penn State where he coached the team to win two national championships in 1982 and 1986. He was head coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions for 45 years until his retirement in 2011 where he became the most victorious coach in history, with 409 victories.

Bill O’Brien

WIlliam ‘The Teapot’ O’Brien is an American football coach who attended Brown University from 1990 to 1992 where he played defensive end and linebacker for the Brown Bears. O’Brien moved into coaching in 1993 and has had a long career coaching many college football teams. In 2024, O’Brien was hired as Boston College’s head coach.

Alicia Sacramone

Alicia Sacromone is a retired American gymnast who, among other achievements, won a silver medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Sacromone started gymnastics at age 8 and in 2006, joined the gymnastics team at Brown University. Specialising in the floor exercise and the vault, Alicia is now the fourth most decorated American gymnast.

Writers and Journalists

John F. Kennedy Jr.

John F. Kennedy Jr. (1960 – 1999), known as JFK Jr., was an American journalist, attorney and son of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy attended Brown University where he graduated in 1978 with a degree in American Studies. Kennedy then worked briefly as an assistant district attorney in New York City before opening his magazine, George, which he promoted heavily. Kennedy wrote and edited for his magazine until his death in 1999 due to a plane crash.

Kerry Kennedy

Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, is an American lawyer, author and human rights activist. Kennedy graduated from Brown in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree before pursuing Law at Boston College. Since then, Kerry Kennedy has devoted her life to human rights, having written  many columns and articles on the topic for America’s top publications. She is also Chair of the Amnesty International USA Leadership Council.

Ted Chiang

Ted Chiang is a famous American science fiction writer who studied computer science at Brown University, graduating in 1989. Chiang began writing while still in school and in 1989 sold his first story, ‘The Tower of Babylon’ which won a Nebula Award a year later. Subsequently, Ted Chaing has had many successful publications such as ‘Story of Your Life’ and now has been awarded four Nebula awards, four Hugo awards, six Locus awards and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry is an American author known for many children and young adult novels. Lowry attended Brown University, then known as Pembroke College but left in 1956. Lois started novel writing later in life and published her first book in 1977 at age 40 called ‘A Summer to Die’. Lowry has since published several books aimed at children and young adults, which tend to deal with difficult subject matters. She has been awarded two Newbery Medals for her work.

Actors

Emma Watson

Emma Watson is an English actor best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter Series. After her career as a childhood star, Emma, who was very academically gifted, wished to pursue English Literature at degree level. Watson graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor’s in English Literature in 2014, and despite rumours of bullying, she thoroughly enjoyed her time at Brown. Emma has since continued her acting career in notable films such as ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ and ‘Little Women’.

John Krasinski

John Krasinski is an American actor known for his role as Jim Halpert in the American adaptation of The Office. Krasinski studied English and playwriting at Brown University, graduating in 2001 before starting his acting career. His breakthrough role was with The Office which he starred in from 2005 to 2013. Since then, he has starred in notable works such as ‘Promised Land’ and the thriller series ‘Jack Ryan’.

Julie Bowen

Julie Bowen is an American actor best known for starring as Clair Dunphy in the sitcom Modern Family. Bowen graduated Brown University with a major in Italian Renaissance before pursuing her acting career. After acting in a range of films and TV shows, Julie Bowen gained prominence for her performance as a recurring role on ER. Subsequently, from 2009 to 2020, Bowen starred in the sitcom Modern Family which was highly successful and she was awarded six Primetime Emmy awards for her role in the show.

Economists

Janet Yellen

Janet Yellen is an American economist who graduated from Brown University (then Pembroke College) with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1967. Yellen continued her academic career in economics by obtaining her PhD and starting the position of assistant professor of economics at Harvard University. She then served as the 15th chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018 and since 2021 is the 78th United States Secretary of the treasury.

Spend your Summer at Brown with Summer Boarding Courses

To start your journey of becoming a world-changing Brown alumni, you can take part in one of their many summer pre-college programmes. Programs range from one to six weeks where you can be immersed in the culture at Brown, learning in one of over 300 courses.

Taking part can give you good insight into what studying at Brown is like and help fuel the personal and academic growth needed for a future at and beyond Brown.

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