Notable Alumni

A prolific character actress, Allison Janney ‘82 has wowed audiences as a stoic White House press secretary in “The West Wing," a woman overcoming addiction in "Mom," and as Tonya Harding’s mom in "I, Tonya."

Walk the Moon, the band Nick Petricca '09 launched at Kenyon, went on to top charts with its catchy earworm, “Shut Up and Dance." Their album "Talking is Hard" has sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S.

Starting his journalism career at the Kenyon Collegian, Matthew Winkler '77 went on to write for The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and Forbes before serving as editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, the global news service he co-founded with Michael Bloomberg.

Shaka Smart '99 rocketed to fame after leading the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams to an improbable Final Four finish in the NCAA basketball tournament. Currently head coach at Marquette University, he has had a total of eight NCAA tournament appearances.

Young adult novelist John Green ‘00 wrote the “The Fault in Our Stars,” which debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list and later became a feature film. Green also co-founded the YouTube channel, vlogbrothers, and the popular educational series, Crash Course.

As the United States' top official in Ukraine, Ambassador Bridget Brink '91 plays a critical role in the middle of the largest European conflict since World War II. A career  diplomat, Brink previously served as ambassador to Slovakia.

New York Times staff photographer Erin Schaff '11 covers everything from presidential rallies to the impact of COVID-19 on the nation’s hospitals. Two of her photos of the Ford-Kavanaugh sexual assault hearings were featured in Time's Top 100 Photos of 2018.

Bill Watterson '80, who got his start drawing political cartoons for the Kenyon Collegian, went on to dream up “Calvin and Hobbes,” one of the most popular comic strips of the late 1980s that continues to live on in pop culture.

Critically acclaimed writer Laura Hillenbrand '89 is known for her approach of blending historical narrative with literary technique to bring new life to stories of the American past.  “Seabiscuit” and “Unbroken” sold over 13 million copies and were adapted as feature films.  

Allison Joseph ’88 has published eight full-length poetry collections, including “What Keeps Us Here,” which won the John C. Zacharis First Book Award. She directs a creative writing program for graduate students and is editor-in-chief of Crab Orchard Review.

National Medal of Science recipient Carl Djerassi '43 is best known for synthesizing norethindrone, the steroid hormone that has become one of the most widely used ingredients in oral contraceptives. The chemist also was an prolific poet, science-fiction novelist and playwright.

Oscar-winning actor and director Paul Newman ’49 lit up the screen in “Cool Hand Luke,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting.” He also co-founded Newman’s Own, raising more than $550 million for charities.

As supervising producer at “This American Life,” Nadia Reiman ‘05 won the first-ever Pulitzer for audio reporting for "The Out Crowd," which highlighted the U.S. Remain in Mexico policy.

Josh Radnor ’96 is best known as Ted Mosby on the Emmy Award-winning sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” but Kenyon audiences also know him from “Liberal Arts,” the film he wrote, directed and starred in—and shot on location in Gambier.   

Harrison David Rivers ’04 has been honored with the GLAAD Media Award for “When We Last Flew” and the Relentless Award for “the bandaged place.” 

President of Imagine Television Samie Kim Falvey ’96 has played a leading role in shaping some of America’s most groundbreaking and popular TV shows, including “Black-ish,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Modern Family,” “The Middle” and “The Goldbergs."