# List of Minnesota State University, Mankato people

This is a list of notable people associated with Minnesota State University, Mankato.

## Alumni
### Academics and education

| Name | Notability |
| Barbara Fister | Librarian, professor at Gustavus Adolphus College |
| Steve Gehrke | Professor of fine arts at University of Texas-Austin, poet |
| Judith Kuster | Professor of speech-language pathology |
| Michelle LaRue | Conservation biologist and ecologist |
| Shirley Ardell Mason | Art teacher, subject of 1973 book Sybil |
| Nancy B. Olson | Librarian and educator; founder, Online Audiovisual Catalogers (OLAC) |
| William A. Sederburg | Senior scholar, American Association of State Colleges and Universities; former president, Utah Valley University |
| Yang Chao-hsiang | President, Fo Guang University; former Minister of Examination and Minister of Education of Taiwan |
| Gwen Walz | Educator, public school administrator, and 39th First Lady of Minnesota |
| Suzanne White | Professor at community college and debate coach |
| Dean Zimmerman | Professor of philosophy at Rutgers University |

### Arts and entertainment

| Name | Notability |
| Adrienne Armstrong | Record producer, clothing designer, and wife of Billie Joe Armstrong of the band Green Day |
| Barbara Fister | Author, blogger and librarian |
| Becca Kufrin | Winner of the twenty-second season of The Bachelor and the lead on the fourteenth season of The Bachelorette |
| Andrew Kuster | Writer, composer, and conductor |
| Vicki Myron | Librarian, author of Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World |
| Brad Nessler | Sports commentator, ESPN/ESPN on ABC |
| Melissa Peterman | Actress, Reba |
| Rob Shanahan | Rock & roll photographer, Ringo Starr's personal photographer |
| Mona Smith | Native American artist, storyteller, and documentary producer |
| Mark Withers | Actor, Dynasty |
| Cedric Yarbrough | Actor, Reno 911! and The Boondocks |

### Athletics

| Name | Notability |
| David Backes | Professional and Olympic hockey player |
| Adrian Battles | Professional football player |
| Kevin Birr | Curler, USCA Bronze medalist |
| Teddy Blueger | Latvian professional hockey player |
| Jerilyn Britz | Professional golfer, Minnesota State Mavericks Athletics Hall of Fame |
| LaMark Brown | Professional football player |
| Larry Brown | Professional football player |
| Ryan Carter | Former professional hockey player |
| John Castañeda | UFC bantamweight mixed martial artist |
| Jim Dilling | High jumper, 2007 USA Outdoor Champion |
| Aaron Fox | Professional hockey coach and former player |
| Brandon Girtz | 2007 NCAA All-American wrestler, Bellator mixed martial artist |
| Tim Jackman | Professional hockey player |
| Jon Kalinski | Professional hockey player |
| Connor Mackey | Professional hockey player |
| Emmanuel Matadi | 2016 Olympic 100m and 200m sprinter, flag bearer for Liberia in the 2016 Parade of Nations |
| Malavath Poorna | Indian mountaineer, youngest Indian and youngest female to scale Mount Everest |
| Dryden McKay | Professional hockey goaltender |
| Travis Morin | Professional hockey player and American Hockey League MVP |
| Joel Nielsen | Sports administrator |
| Zach Palmquist | Professional hockey player |
| Chris Reed | Professional football player |
| Grant Stevenson | Professional hockey player |
| C.J. Suess | Professional hockey player |
| Adam Thielen | Professional football player |
| Steven Wagner | Professional hockey player |
| Shane Zylstra | Tight end for NFL Detroit Lions |
| Darren Tighe | Head men's basketball coach for the Dakota State Trojans |

### Business and leadership

| Name | Notability |
| Maha Aboulelenein | Former head of communications and spokeswoman, Google MENA |
| Albert T. Annexstad | Former president and CEO, Federated Mutual |
| Lou Bellamy | Founder, Penumbra Theatre Company |
| Tom J. Shea | Businessman for Shea Company Inc and Steele County, former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Glen Taylor | Founder, Taylor Corporation; owner, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx |

### Law, politics, government, and military

| Name | Notability |
| Ben Bakeberg | Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Bob Barrett | Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives; Director of Market Research for the Hazelden Foundation |
| Jessica Benham | Member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives |
| Bob Bird | Alaskan politician and organizer |
| Charnelle Bjelkengren | Judge for Spokane County Superior Court |
| David Bly | Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Larry Buendorf | Former Navy aviator and Secret Service agent |
| Lyndon Carlson | Politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Greg Davids | Former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Pat Garofalo | Politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Theresa Greenfield | Democratic candidate for 2020 U.S. Senate in Iowa |
| Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik (USMC) | Commanding general of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, and Marine Forces Command |
| John Jasinski | Member of the Minnesota Senate |
| David M. Jennings | Former Speaker of the House, Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Patrick D. McGowan | Former member of the Minnesota Senate and sheriff of Hennepin County |
| Scott Newman | Attorney and former member of the Minnesota Senate and Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Brian Pfarr | Former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Mark Piepho | Former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate |
| Christian Rosenmeier | Minnesota Senator |
| Gary J. Schmidt | Assemblyman, Wisconsin State Assembly |
| Stephanie Schriock | Former president, Emily's List; former campaign manager for Senator Al Franken (D-MN) |
| Roy F. Shulz | Former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and farmer |
| Rod Searle | Minnesota State Representative and Speaker of the House Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Greg Stevens | Former member of Iowa House of Representatives |
| Steve Strachan | Former Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, former Sheriff of King County, Washington |
| Arthur S. Thomas | Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force |
| Mohamed Aden Tiiceey | Founder and former president of unrecognized autonomous state, Himan and Heeb |
| Tim Walz | 41st governor of Minnesota, 2024 Democratic nominee for vice president of the United States |
| Andy Welti | Representative, Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Samuel B. Wilson | Former Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court |
| John M. Zwach | Former U.S. Representative, MN-06 |

### Other

| Name | Notability | References |
| Jeanne Audrey Powers | leader within The United Methodist Church, an advocate for women and LGBTQ+ people in the church, and one of the first women ordained in the denomination | |

## Faculty

| Name | Notability |
| William Artis | Sculptor, professor of ceramics |
| David G. Bronner | Businessman, professor of business and finance |
| Barbara K. Charbonneau-Dahlen | Pembina Chippewa advocate, professor of nursing |
| Harry Coonce | Professor of mathematics |
| Terry Davis (author) | Novelist, professor of English |
| Cathy Day | Novelist, short-story writer, professor of English |
| Eber Hampton | Former President, First Nations University of Canada; professor of psychology |
| Todd Hoffner | Head football coach |
| Clark Johnson | Former member, Minnesota House of Representatives; professor of social sciences |
| Judith Kuster | Professor of speech-language pathology |
| Charlotte Lachs | Soprano singer, professor of vocal music |
| Agnes Larson | Historian, professor of history |
| Frederic Lillebridge | Pianist, composer, professor of instrumental music |
| Richard Robbins (poet) | Poet, professor of English |
| Julia Sears | Academic, suffragist, first woman to head a public college in the United States |
| Kathy Sheran | Former member, Minnesota Senate; assistant professor of nursing |
| Hafiz Siddiqi | Professor of business management |
| Seiji Takaku | Psychologist, professor of psychology |
| Richard Terrill | Author, jazz musician, professor of fine arts |
| Nancy Wicker | Professor of art history |

## Presidents

| Name | Years |
| George M. Gage | 1868–72 |
| Julia A. Sears | 1872–73 |
| Rev. David C. John | 1873–80 |
| Edward Searing | 1880–98 |
| Charles H. Cooper | 1898–1930 |
| Dr. Frank D. McElroy | 1930–46 |
| Dr. Clarence L. Crawford | 1946–65 |
| Dr. James F. Nickerson | 1966–73 |
| Dr. Douglas R. Moore | 1974–78 |
| Dr. Margaret R. Preska | 1979–92 |
| Dr. Richard R. Rush | 1992–2001 |
| Dr. Karen Boubel | 2001–02 |
| Dr. Richard Davenport | 2002–21 |
| Dr. Edward Inch | 2021- present |