List of Cleveland State University people

This list of Cleveland State University people includes notable alumni, students, as well as current and former faculty of Cleveland State University, a public university located in Cleveland, Ohio.

Presidents

• Cecil V. Thomas, 1934–1947
• Joseph C. Nichols, 1947–1948
• Edward Hodnett, 1948–1951
• G. Brooks Earnest, 1952–1965
• Harry Newburn, 1965–1966 (interim)
• Harold Enarson, 1966–1972
• Harry Newburn, 1972–1973 (interim)
• Walter Waetjen, 1973–1988
• John Flower, 1988–1992
• Claire Van Ummersen, 1993–2001
• Michael Schwartz, 2002–2009
• Ronald M. Berkman, 2009–2018
• Harlan M. Sands, 2018–2022 ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• Laura J. Bloomberg, 2022–present

Faculty

• Angelin Chang, Grammy-award winning classical pianist and professor of music; a graduate of the university's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
• Michael Dumanis, Russian-American poet and former Director of the Cleveland State University Poetry Center
• Lee Fisher, politician and dean of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
• Thomas W. Hungerford, mathematician and author of many textbooks including Abstract Algebra: An Introduction
• Richard M. Perloff, American Communication scholar, writer of The Dynamics of Persuasion, currently in its sixth edition, international recognized expert on the subject
• Imad Rahman, Pakistani-American writer, I Dream of Microwaves
• Shuvo Roy, inventor of the artificial kidney
• Sheila Schwartz, fiction writer, creative writing professor
• Chas Smith, author, musician, radio personality, music professor
• Camilla Stivers, Distinguished Professor of Public Administration
• Jearl Walker, author of The Flying Circus of Physics ; physics professor

Coaching staff

• Dennis Gates, basketball coach
• Gary Waters, basketball coach

Notable alumni

Government

• Jane L. Campbell, 56th mayor of Cleveland, first woman mayor of Cleveland
• Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr., Ohio Senator, Ohio Secretary of State, Ohio attorney general and gubernatorial candidate for Ohio
• Frank D. Celebrezze Jr., Ohio Court of Appeals Judge
• Vlado Dimovski (Ph.D., 1994), Minister in the Government of Slovenia
• Pamela Evette (B.B.A), lt. governor of South Carolina
• Ed Feighan (J.D., 1978), U.S. Congressman
• Ed FitzGerald, first Cuyahoga County Council Executive, former mayor of Lakewood, Ohio
• George L. Forbes, Cleveland City Council President, Cleveland NAACP President
• Marcia Fudge, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 113th Congress, 18th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• Daniel Gaul, judge for the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
• Dan Huberty, member of the Texas House of Representatives from Houston
• Frank G. Jackson, 57th mayor of the City of Cleveland
• Frank Lausche, 55th and 57th governor of Ohio, Ohio senator, 47th mayor of Cleveland
• Max Miller, U.S. Congressman
• Donald C. Nugent (J.D., 1974), Federal District Court Judge
• Maureen O'Connor (J.D., 1980), current Ohio Supreme Court Justice
• Terrence O'Donnell (J.D., 1971), current Ohio Supreme Court Justice
• C. J. Prentiss, Ohio State Senator, founder of Policy Matters Ohio
• Andrew Puzder (B.A., 1975), CEO of CKE Restaurants/Secretary of Labor-designate (for President-elect Donald Trump)
• Shawn Richards, member of the National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis ^[4]
• Kahlil Seren (MSUS, 2010), first elected mayor of Cleveland Heights, Ohio
• Carl B. Stokes (J.D., 1956), first African American mayor of a major U.S. city (Cleveland)
• Louis Stokes (J.D., 1953), 15-term Democratic Congressman
• Francis E. Sweeney Sr. (J.D., 1963), former Ohio Supreme Court Justice
• Ike Thompson, member of the Ohio House of Representatives
• Nina Turner (BA, MA), former Cleveland City Council Member, former Ohio State Senator, President of Our Revolution
• Lesley B. Wells (J.D., 1974), Federal District Court Judge

Sports

• Johnny Bedford (attended), wrestler; ^[5] professional mixed martial artist, formerly with the Ultimate Fighting Championship ^[6]
• J'Nathan Bullock, professional basketball player
• Norris Cole, two-time NBA Champion basketball player
• M-Dogg 20/Matt Cross, born Matthew Capiccioni (B.A. 2006), professional wrestler
• Jerry Dybzinski, former professional baseball player
• Franklin Edwards, former professional basketball player
• Gerald Harris (History), all-time record for wins on the wrestling team; ^[7] current professional mixed martial arts fighter ^[8]
• D'Moi Hodge, NBA basketball player
• Cedric Jackson, NBA basketball player
• Trey Lewis (born 1992), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Stipe Miocic (Communications/Marketing), baseball player; professional MMA fighter; two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion ^[9]
• Clinton Smith, former NBA basketball player
• Darren Tillis, former NBA player

Other

• Jerome Caja, performance artist ^[10]
• Gladisa Guadalupe (B.A.), ballet dancer, artistic director and co-founder of the current Cleveland Ballet
• Kid Leo (attended; honorary D.H.L., 2022), general manager and afternoon DJ on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius XM Radio
• Lee Ann Liska (M.B.A.), hospital administrator ^[11]
• Kenneth A. Loparo, mechanical engineering professor
• J. Everett Prewitt, novelist, former Army officer ^{[12] [13]}
• Scott Raab (B.A., 1984), writer, Esquire Magazine ^[14]
• Tim Russert (J.D., 1976), author; NBC Washington bureau chief; moderator of NBC's Meet the Press
• Margaret Taber, electrical engineer
• Steve Wood, Anglican bishop of the Carolinas and archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America
• Tom Zeller Jr., New York Times journalist and nonfiction author.

References

1. "Harlan Sands out as Cleveland State's president due to 'differences regarding how the university should be led'". www.cleveland.com. April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
2. Moody, Josh (April 28, 2022). "Cleveland State President Makes Abrupt Exit". Inside Higher Ed . Retrieved May 7, 2022.
3. Moody, Josh (May 3, 2022). "Cleveland State Pays President $928K to Step Down". Inside Higher Ed . Retrieved May 7, 2022.
4. "Hon. Shawn Richards". People's Action Movement. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
5. "Johnny Bedford UFC Profile" . Retrieved January 1, 2014.
6. "Johnny Bedford UFC Profile" . Retrieved January 1, 2014.
7. "CSU-Gerald Harris all time win record" . Retrieved January 1, 2014.
8. "Gerald Harris UFC Bio" . Retrieved January 1, 2014.
9. "Stipe Miocic UFC Bio" . Retrieved September 19, 2016.
10. Karlstrom, Paul J. (September 29, 1995). "Oral history interview with Jerome Caja". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
11. "Liska named CEO at Augusta University Medical Center". Jagwire. July 27, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
12. "J. EVERETT PREWITT ('78 MS) - Cleveland State University". www.csuohio.edu. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
13. "J. Everett Prewitt, Award Winning Novelist". AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
14. "Writer Scott Raab, lifelong fan of the Cleveland Browns, Indians and Cavaliers, shows he's a bigger fan of Cleveland State University" . Retrieved August 17, 2017.