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Our People

There is no single Northwestern Direction.

A Northwestern Direction is a journey that each one of us creates and defines.

Meet a few of the students, faculty, staff and alumni who make up the Northwestern community. You can filter the list by student, faculty, staff or alumni, or just browse. Explore Faculty Accolades to learn how our faculty are making exceptional contributions to society and the world of academia. If you are looking for someone in particular, use the People Directory to find current students, faculty or staff members. 

Vineet Aggarwal

Vineet Aggarwal '16
Economics major and all-star debater working on providing health and social services in rural villages in India

Scottie Akines Jr.

Scottie Akines Jr.
Business Administrator, Theatre, School of Communication

Kranthi Kumar Akula

Kranthi Kumar Akula
Regulatory Operations Manager for Institute for Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine

Jason Alba

Jason Alba
Business Administrator, Office of the Dean, Kellogg School of Management.

Mariana Alfaro

Mariana Alfaro '18
Journalism major and Daily Northwestern editor

Luis Amaral

Luis Amaral
Physicist conducting research on social and biological systems as a Chemical and Biological Engineering professor

Michael Barratt

Michael Barratt '85
Astronaut and physician for NASA

Saul Bellow

Saul Bellow '37
Writer and recipient of the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize for Literature

Beth Bennett

Beth Bennett
Broadcast Journalism professor and documentary producer

Christine Brennan

Christine Brennan '80 and '81 MSJ
Sports columnist and commentator with expertise covering Olympic figure skating

Roslyn M. Brock

Roslyn M. Brock '99
Healthcare executive and chairman of NAACP's National Board of Directors

Zach Brock

Zach Brock '99
Jazz violinist and composer

Mara Brock-Akil

Mara Brock-Akil '92
Television producer and creator of sitcoms, including Girlfriends

Stephanie Brock-Wilson

Stephanie Brock-Wilson '16
Economics major and fellow at the Center for Civic Engagement

Jian Cao

Jian Cao
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of Northwestern Initiative for Manufacturing Science and Innovation (NIMSI)

Austin Carr

Austin Carr '16
Philosophy major and Academic All-Big Ten receiver

Ruben Castillo

Ruben Castillo '79
Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Simran Arinder Chadha

Simran Arinder Chadha '18
Honors Program in Medical Education participant majoring in Human Communication Sciences

Danny Cohen

Danny Cohen
Professor of Instruction exploring education on the Holocaust, genocide and human rights

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert '86
Emmy Award-winning television host and comedian

Kori Michele Cooper

Kori Michele Cooper '18
English major whose team won Northwestern's Intramural Global Health Case Competition

Kevin Corkran

Kevin Corkran '18
Double major in Social Policy and Economics with a Chinese Language minor

Lester Crown

Lester Crown '46
Businessman and investor

Kathleen Daniels

Kathleen Daniels
Business Administrator, Department of English, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Monica Olvera de la Cruz

Monica Olvera de la Cruz
Materials Science and Engineering professor applying her study of electrostatics and fluids to settings like cell environments

Tre Demps

Tre Demps '16
Basketball player and Communications major

Mesmin Destin

Mesmin Destin
Psychology professor committed to understanding student motivation to begin closing the socioeconomic achievement gap

Jack Doppelt

Jack Doppelt
Journalism professor and reporter committed to telling the stories of immigrants and refugees

Mindy Douthit

Mindy Douthit
Learning and Organizational Change professor focusing on innovation, competitive strategy and cooperative behavior in organizations

Brian Drabik

Brian Drabik
Director of Financial Aid Operations

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel '85
Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff

Genevieve Baesong Enowmbitang

Genevieve Baesong Enowmbitang '16
Human Development and Psychological Services major and Northwestern cheerleader

Danny Fisher

Danny Fisher
Chief Operating Officer at the Kellogg School of Management

Christopher Flaim

Christopher Flaim '18
Theatre Major focusing on musical theater

Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn '97
Novelist and screenwriter whose novels include Gone Girl

Lisa Franchetti

Lisa Franchetti '85
Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Korea

Shruti Ganguly

Shruti Ganguly '04
Filmmaker, producer and Vice President of TV and Video at NYLON

Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi '86
Former professional baseball player and MLB Network studio analyst

Sarahmaria Gomez

Sarahmaria Gomez '05
Journalist teaching high schoolers how to become smarter news producers and consumers

Matt Grevers

Matt Grevers '07
Competition swimmer and six-time Olympic medalist

Steve Hafner

Steve Hafner '97
Travel website CEO and founder of Kayak.com

Zahra Haider

Zahra Haider '17
Aspiring global reporter majoring in broadcast journalism and political science

Kevin Hardiman

Kevin Hardiman '16
Learning and Organizational Change major conducting research on human-computer interaction

David Harris

David Harris '91 and '97 PhD
Provost of Tufts University and former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Heather Headley

Heather Headley '97
Tony and Grammy award-winning actress and singer

Mark Hersam

Mark Hersam
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and MacArthur Fellow dedicated to developing new nanomaterials

Yonggang Huang

Yonggang Huang
Mechanical Engineering professor and member of six acclaimed academies

Kirabo Jackson

Kirabo Jackson
Labor economist studying education and social policy issues as a professor of Human Development and Social Policy

Hans Jørgen Jensen

Hans Jørgen Jensen
Award-winning professor of cello

Paulina Kijek

Paulina Kijek
Assistant Director, Finance, Administration, Northwestern University School of Law

Hayeon Kim

Hayeon Kim '17
American Studies major with an Asian American Studies minor and a passion for social justice

Kyle Kremer

Kyle Kremer '12
A Physics-Trumpet double major awarded the Winston Churchill Scholarship to study Astrophysics

Mihir Kumar

Mihir Kumar '16
Scholar-athlete balancing an Economics major with varsity tennis

Elizabeth Larsen

Elizabeth Larsen '15
Economics major who used a Circumnavigator grant to study childhood malnutrition around the world

Malcolm Lazarow

Malcolm Lazarow '17
Dual degree-seeker studying music composition, engineering sciences and applied mathematics

Josephine Lee

Josephine Lee '99
President and artistic director of the Chicago Children's Choir

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus '83
Emmy award-winning actress and comedian

Elisabeth Boyer Lusche

Elisabeth Boyer Lusche '17
Trumpet performance major

Garry Marshall

Garry Marshall '56
Creator and producer of television shows, film director and actor

George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin '70
Writer of short stories and novels including the Game of Thrones fantasy series

Yael Mayer

Yael Mayer
Research Projects Associate, Office for Research and Business Administrator, Center for Synthetic Biology

Charles Mayo

Charles Mayo '88
Surgeon and founder of the Mayo Clinic, the first group practice with medical specializations

Dan McAdams

Dan McAdams
Chair of the Psychology Department and expert in the psychology of the American identity

Bomani McClendon

Bomani McClendon '17
Computer Science major working at Medill's Knight Lab for Innovation

Seth Meyers

Seth Meyers '96
Comedian and talk show host

Yakira Imaris Mirabito

Yakira Imaris Mirabito '17
Future engineer who is passionate about materials science and sustainability

Chad Mirkin

Chad Mirkin
Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology, Chemistry professor and advisor to President Obama

Myrtil Nioka Mitanga

Myrtil Nioka Mitanga '17
Music Performance major studying cello who has found a faculty mentor and a newfound love of snowy winters

Gary Saul Morson

Gary Saul Morson
Russian literature professor whose courses are among Northwestern's most popular

Francis Mulhern

Francis Mulhern
Chair of the Integrated Marketing Communications department and expert on media technology's impact on marketing.

Wendy Murray

Wendy Murray
Professor of both Engineering and Physical Science applying biomechanics to understand hand and arm movements

Hamid Naficy

Hamid Naficy
Professor of Radio/Television/Film and leading authority on diaspora and Middle Eastern media

Divya Narendra

Divya Narendra '12
Creator of SumZero, an online community for investment professionals

Caroline Niedospial

Caroline Niedospial '15
Aspiring journalist and star volleyball player

Spencer Park

Spencer Park '16
Dual-degree seeker studying Music Performance and Materials Science and Engineering

Kara Pederson

Kara Pederson
Professional Affairs Manager for Institute for Public Health & Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine

Dorina Aguilar Rasmussen

Dorina Aguilar Rasmussen
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

Virginia Rometty

Virginia Rometty '79
Business executive currently Chairman, President and CEO of IBM

Jacob Rosenblum

Jacob Rosenblum '17
Major in Human Development and Psychological Services conducting research on body image, objectification and surveillance

Patrick Ryan

Patrick Ryan '59
Businessman, founder and former executive chairman of Aon Corporation

Roxana Saberi

Roxana Saberi '99
Journalist and human rights advocate

Eddie Sánchez

Eddie Sánchez '17
Acting student pursuing a Theatre major

David Schwimmer

David Schwimmer '88
Actor and co-founder the Lookingglass Theatre Company

Anna Shapiro

Anna Shapiro
Professor in the MFA Directing Program, Artistic Director of the Steppenwolf Theater Company and Tony Award-winner

Carter Megan Sherman

Carter Megan Sherman '16
Double major in Journalism and International Studies

Ali Shilatifard

Ali Shilatifard
Professor and chair of biochemistry and molecular genetics researching the molecular understanding of childhood leukemia.

Gwynne Shotwell

Gwynne Shotwell '86 and '88 GMcC
Businesswoman and President of the space transport corporation, SpaceX

Richard Silverman

Richard Silverman
Chemistry professor whose research on nervous system disorders led him to invent the fibromyalgia drug Lyrica.

Melissa Simon

Melissa Simon
Health equity leader and physician-scientist combines research and community outreach.

John Paul Stevens

John Paul Stevens '47
Former justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Sir Fraser Stoddart

Sir Fraser Stoddart
Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry and recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Donna Wang Su

Donna Wang Su
Associate director of Graduate Admissions & Financial Aid, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

Damien Trimuel

Damien Trimuel
Senior Manager, Financial Senior Manager, Financial Planning & HR Strategic Projects

Joan Trimuel Williams

Joan Trimuel Williams
Director, Compliance, Office for Regulatory Affairs; Feinberg School of Medicine

Beth Tucker

Beth Tucker
Program Advisor, Operations, Northwestern Career Advancement

Abhinav Veerina

Abhinav Veerina '16
Transfer student studying Religious Studies and Global Health Studies

Wendy Wall

Wendy Wall
English professor and Director of the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities

Rocky Wirtz

Rocky Wirtz '75
Owner and chairman of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks

Andrew Youn

Andrew Youn '06
Founder of One Acre Fund, a nonprofit that provides agricultural training

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