# List of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumni

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois. Following are some of its notable alumni.

## Art

| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
| Gilbert "Gib" Singleton | 1967 BA | Sculptor; Fulbright Scholar; among his works is the crosier carried by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis | |

## Business

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| Fernando Aguirre | 1980 BS | Former president, Chiquita Brands International |
| Paul J. Galeski | 1983 BS | Chairman and CEO, Maverick Technologies |
| Ralph Korte | 1968 BS | Chairman and former president, The Korte Company |
| L.Harish sharma- 2005-born in India, From panipat:samalkha-Founder of The Lakin Law Firm, P.C.; Co-founder of Argosy Gaming Company and Argosy Casino Alton | | |
| Gail Lininger | 1968 BS | Co-founder and Vice-Chairman of RE/MAX |

## Education

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| Thelma Mothershed-Wair | 1970; 1972 | Educator and civil rights figure; member of the Little Rock Nine; Congressional Gold Medal recipient |
| Lori Patton Davis | 1995 BS | Professor, author, administrator at Ohio State University |
| Timothy Pauketat | 1983 BS | Archeologist, anthropologist, author, Professor of Anthropology at University of Illinois, Cahokia Mounds investigator |
| Daniel A. Vallero | 1974 BA; 1977 MSCRP | Author, research scientist and adjunct professor of engineering, Duke University |

## Entertainment

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| Roger Boyd | 1997/98 BS/MS | Founding member of the rock band Head East; retired professor, SIUE Department of Social Work |
| Pete Delkus | 1990 BS | Meteorologist, WFAA (Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex) |
| Kathleen Madigan | 1988 BA | Professional comedian |
| Dale Swann | 1970 BA | Deceased character actor in movies and television |
| Jeff Tweedy | | Lead singer of the Chicago-based band Wilco |
| Stephnie Weir | | Comedian and actress |

## Military and government

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| Walter Kross | 1974 MS | Retired General, USAF; former Commander of Scott Air Force Base |
| Gary Schroen | 1968 BA | Former CIA agent; stationed in Iran and Afghanistan; assigned to capture Osama bin Laden; author of First In |
| David C. Williams | ? | Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service, Vice Chair on the Government Accountability and Transparency Board |

## Politics

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| William L. Enyart | 1974 BS | Former U.S. Representative for Illinois's 12th congressional district, Major General, former Illinois Adjutant General (the senior officer in the Illinois Army and Air National Guard) |
| Thomas Holbrook | 1971 BA | Former Illinois State Representative, 113th District |
| John W Hursey Jr | 2014 BA | American Political Figure and Educator |
| JD Leathers | 2015 BS | Former Public Policy Advisor, Brentwood, MO; Former Traffic Commissioner, Webster Groves, MO; American Polymath; 2022 Democratic Candidate for Missouri's 4th congressional district |
| Andy Manar | 1997 BA | Illinois State Senate, 48th District |
| Deborah Pauly | 1988 | Orange Country Republican politician, John Birch Society leader, and Tea Party personality |
| Ed Schieffer | 1977 MSEd | Member of the Missouri House of Representatives, 11th District |
| John Shimkus | 1997 MBA | R-IL 19th District, U.S. House of Representatives |
| Mark Waller | 1992 BS | Minority leader, Colorado House of Representatives representing District 15 |

## Sports

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| Mike Banner | | Central midfielder for the Finnish Premier League side FF Jaro |
| Justin Bilyeu | 2016 BS | Defender, New York Red Bulls; 18th pick, 2016 MLS SuperDraft |
| Jenny Bindon | | Goalkeeper for the New Zealand Women's Football Team at the 2007 & 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2008 Beijing & 2012 London Summer Olympics |
| John Carenza | | professional soccer player with the St. Louis Stars and member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team |
| Alicia DeShasier | 2007 BS | Won gold medal in javelin at the 2011 Pan American Games |
| Juan Farrow | | 3-time NCAA Division II tennis singles champion; 2-time Division II doubles champion |
| Ken Flach | | 2-time Wimbledon and US Open doubles winner; Olympic gold medalist; 3-time NCAA Division II tennis singles champion, Division I doubles finalist; 2-time Division II doubles champion |
| Pat Healy | | Professional mixed martial artist, formerly for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight champion |
| Darin Hendrickson | 1992/95 BS/MA | College baseball coach at Fontbonne, Central Missouri, and Saint Louis |
| Jalen Henry | | Professional basketball player |
| Edward E. "Ed" Hightower | 1974/77/81 BS/MSEd/SD | Division I men's basketball referee, officiated 12 NCAA Final Four tournaments; Superintendent of Edwardsville School District 7; former member, SIU Board of Trustees |
| Neil Magny | | Professional mixed martial artist, current UFC Welterweight |
| Ty Margenthaler | 1997 | Former head coach of the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks women's basketball team |
| Bill Plaschke | 1980 | Sports writer for the LA Times and a regular on ESPN's Around the Horn |
| Matt Polster | 2015 BS | Midfielder and defender, Chicago Fire and U.S. national soccer team; 7th pick, 2015 MLS SuperDraft; finalist, 2016 Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year |
| Joe Reiniger | 1994 BS | Retired St. Louis Steamers and Ambush soccer player |
| Robert Seguso | | 2-time Wimbledon and US-Open doubles winner; Olympic gold medalist; NCAA Division II tennis doubles champion and Division I doubles finalist |
| Dewayne Staats | 1975 BA | Television sports commentator for the Tampa Bay Rays |
| Dennis Werth | | Former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder |
| Paul Wight | | Actor and professional wrestler known as "The Big Show" |
| Clay Zavada | 2007 | Major League Baseball Relief Pitcher and 2009 Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year award from the American Mustache Institute |

## Writing and journalist

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| Gary W. Kronk | 1981 BS | Noted amateur astronomer and journalist |
| Paige St. John | 1986 BS | Reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting |
| Shelby Steele | 1971 MA | Author and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University; awarded the 2006 Bradley Prize and the 2004 National Humanities Medal; News & Documentary Emmy Award for documentary writing |
| Kola Tubosun | 2012 MA | Nigerian Linguist, writer, 2016 awardee of the Premio Ostana in Cuneo, Italy for work in indigenous language advocacy, and author of Edwardsville by Heart (2018). |