Elon University: A Legacy of Notable Alumni
Elon University, a vibrant and pioneering institution, boasts a diverse and accomplished alumni network. These individuals have made significant contributions to their respective fields, bringing honor to the school and embodying the spirit of leadership and service that Elon instills. As an Elon Law alum, you will always be a cherished member of the Elon Law community.
EduRank places Elon University at 1651st in the world, 580th in North America, and 547th in the United States based on aggregated alumni prominence. This ranking reflects the collective impact of Elon graduates across various disciplines.
Arts and Entertainment
Elon University has a strong presence in the arts and entertainment industry, with alumni making waves in film, television, music, and theater.
Grant Gustin: Perhaps one of Elon's most recognizable alumni, Thomas Grant Gustin is an American actor best known for his role as Barry Allen/The Flash on The CW series The Flash (2014-2023), a key part of the Arrowverse. Gustin also gained recognition for his portrayal of Sebastian Smythe on the Fox series Glee. Trained in musical theater, Gustin's early career included the 2010 national tour of West Side Story. He returned to theater in the original Broadway production of Water for Elephants, originating the starring role of Jacob Jankowski.
Chris Wood: Christopher Charles Wood is an American actor known for his role as Kai Parker in the sixth season of The CW's The Vampire Diaries in 2014. He had previously appeared on The CW's The Carrie Diaries as writer Adam Weaver in 2013. Wood also starred in the 2016 CW television series Containment as Atlanta police officer Jake Riley. From 2016 to 2018, he played Mon-El on the CW superhero series Supergirl. In 2021, Wood voiced He-Man in Masters of the Universe: Revelation. In 2022, he played Russell Hammond in the Broadway musical Almost Famous. Wood enrolled in Elon University and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Read also: Experiential Learning at Elon
Barrett Wilbert Weed: Barrett Wilbert Weed is an American actress and singer celebrated for originating the roles of Veronica Sawyer in the Off-Broadway production of Heathers: The Musical and Janis Sarkisian in the Broadway production of Mean Girls. She also voices Octavia "Via" Goetia in Helluva Boss. Weed enrolled in Elon University and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Rich Blomquist: Born in 1977, Rich Blomquist is an American writer, producer, and occasional actor. He was a staff writer for The Daily Show in 2003-2006, 2009, and 2011.
Will Neff: Born in 1989, William Savage Ebers Neff is an American Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and actor. He co-hosts the game show Name Your Price with fellow Twitch streamer AustinShow. He also co-hosts the Fear& podcast.
Mark St. Cyr: Mark St. Cyr is an actor, known for playing Mr. H.
Brooke Alexx: Brooke Greenberg’17, better known by her stage name, Brooke Alexx, is a rising pop singer and songwriter, embarking on her first headline tour in the fall of 2024 in support of her first full-length album, Big Mouth, which releases on Oct. 4, 2024. Alexx graduated from Elon with a degree in music production and recording arts. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she also regularly performs and works on new music. She performed at Lollapalooza 2021 in Chicago.
Read also: Elon's Visual Identity
Chris Miller: Chris Miller ’99 is a musical theatre composer, arranger, orchestrator, and pianist. He composed the music for the Broadway production of “Tuck Everlasting,” scored the revival of “Angels in America,” and was part of the team that won a 2012 Daytime Emmy award for music in “Elmo Time” and “Sesame Street.” He won the prestigious Jonathan Larson, Richard Rodgers, Frederick Loewe, and Fred Ebb awards for musical theatre composition. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in musical theater writing from New York University.
Philip G. Anderson: Philip G. Anderson ’13 is a contemporary artist and composer. He writes and produces music for television, film, commercial productions, and publishers around the world. Recent credits include Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back, Undercover Boss, and Chrisley Knows Best.
Andrew Hendryx: After finishing his degree at Elon, Andrew Hendryx’00 eventually moved to NYC and co-founded the band Yarn, with which he toured nationally for nine years. He has performed at major music festivals, theaters, and rock clubs throughout the US. His music has been featured by Rolling Stone, NPR, CMT, PBS, Mountain Stage, and Daytrooter.com. He teaches mandolin for Vintage Guitar. Andrew has collaborated with renowned artists including John Oates (Hall & Oates), Mike Gordon (Phish), Edie Brickell, Rahiem (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five), Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain String Band), Andy Falco and Jeremy Garrett (The Infamous Stringdusters), Ollabelle, Cabinet, Tony Leoni (Chris Robinson Brotherhood), Caitlin Carry (Whiskeytown), Vince Herman & Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon) and bluegrass legends Jim Lauderdale, Sam Bush, and Tony Trischka.
Chelsey Cohen: Chelsey Cohen ’17 has many audio engineering credits in film and television, including “Fairview” and “Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out The News” on Comedy Central. She has worked as an audio engineer and director at NYAV Post, an audio engineer at Paramount, and as an audiovisual specialist at Latham & Watkins LLP.
Ben Soldate: Ben Soldate ’13 is an audio engineer and music producer working in Burbank, California. Following graduation from Elon, Ben worked as an assistant engineer at Jungle Room Studios and Resonate Music and Film. Ben has also worked as a sound designer and mix engineer at For The Record Live, a staff engineer at Outloud Audio, and Front of House Engineer and tour manager for Ocean Park Standoff.
Read also: Academics at Elon
Jesse Scarborough: Jesse Scarborough’14 is a system design engineer based in Silicon Valley. He has his own team working with Fortune 500 companies to provide custom systems and corporate AV standards. He is also the Chair of the Young AV Professionals Council for InfoComm, and audio/video industry standards organization. While at Elon, in addition to his classroom experiences, Jesse worked in live event support, AV, event and theater production, and radio production.
Eliza Spear: Eliza Spear’22 released her debut album “Right Now, It’s Like This,” which was written throughout her sophomore and junior years as a music production and recording arts and communications student. She wrote, recorded and executive produced the 10-song record in between classes and school work. Spear describes her music as “a darker, chamber style of Pop-Americana music that features themes of regret, forgiveness, grief, time and loneliness.”
Ciara Graves: As marketing manager for Thrive Music record label in Los Angeles, California, Ciara Graves’20 has become one of the few Elon University alumni to receive a gold record for her work on the popular ACRAZE track “Do It To It”. Graves joined Thrive Music in July 2021. She works as the team’s marketing manager and the lead of social media audience development. Her tasks are geared toward the marketing aspect of the music industry, as she works with artists to help promote them, their singles, and the label itself.
Kaitlyn Fay: Kaitlyn Fay Koch ’11 is an educator, jazz vocalist, flutist, and baritone saxophonist. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Music Performance (flute), she went on to earn a M.M. in Jazz Voice Performance from William Paterson University. She has taught instrumental, vocal, and general music for grades 4-12 and maintains a private studio.
Amanda Fish: After graduating from Elon, Amanda Fish ’11 attended George Mason University, receiving her Masters Degree in Vocal Performance. Amanda went on to Shannandoah University’s Vocal Pedagogy Instutute, where she received her certificate in Contemporary and Commercial Music. In addition to teaching private lessons, Amanda has contributed to the Musical Theatre community through music directing, voice camps, cabarets, and masterclasses, all while maintaining a professional performing career herself.
Michelle Warshany: Michelle Warshany’14 is the Director of Bands at Port St. Lucie High School in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She also performs in the Port St. Lucie Concert Band and Treasure Coast Flute Ensemble. She has taught K-2 music, high school band, and private flute and piano lessons.
Nora Moore: After earning her bachelor’s degree at Elon, Nora Moore’01 completed her master’s degree in opera performance from The Boston Conservatory.
Patrick Bachmann: After graduating from Elon University, Patrick Bachmann’10 went on to earn his Master’s and Doctorate in Piano Performance from Louisiana State University. He is a piano faculty member at Yantai University and teaches at the Hilliard Community Music School.
Sports
Elon University's alumni have also achieved success in the world of sports, both on and off the field.
Jack McKeon: John Aloysius McKeon, nicknamed "Trader Jack," is an American former Major League Baseball manager and front-office executive.
Elijah Bryant: Elijah Brigham Bryant is an American professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Elon Phoenix and Brigham Young Cougars.
Frank Haith: Frank James Haith Jr. is an American men's basketball coach, currently serving as an assistant coach for the University of Texas. He previously served as head coach of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane from 2014 to 2022, and prior to that he served as the head coach at the University of Miami and the University of Missouri, leaving both programs in the midst of NCAA investigations.
Wes Durham: Dallas Wesley "Wes" Durham is an American sportscaster. He is a play-by-play announcer for ESPN and ACC Network coverage of college football and basketball.
Steven Kinney: Steven Kinney is an American soccer player who plays as a defender. He is currently without a club.
Hap Perry: Lindsay Jackson "Happy" Perry Sr. was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Elon University from 1946 to 1947, compiling a record of 8-11-1. He graduated from Elon in 1923, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. His hometown was Wingate, North Carolina.
W. S. Renn, Jr: William S. Renn Jr. was an American football coach. He was the 23rd head football coach at The Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia and he held that position for two seasons, from 1967 until 1968. His coaching record at Apprentice was 5-8-2. Renn died from Alzheimer's disease on August 23, 2021, at the age of 93.
Billy Devaney: Billy Devaney is a general manager. Devaney '78 took executive post with Atlanta Falcons.
Military and Government Service
Elon University alumni have a distinguished record of service in the military and government.
William E. Gortney: William Evans "Bill" Gortney is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the sixth commander of United States Northern Command and the 23rd commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). He previously served as the Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command from 14 September 2012 to December 2014 and Director of the Joint Staff from 1 July 2010 to August 2012. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet. He assumed his post as CDRUSNORTHCOM and commander of NORAD on 5 December 2014, and was succeeded by General Lori Robinson on 13 May 2016.
Eugene McDaniel: Eugene Barker McDaniel is a retired United States Navy captain, Naval Aviator, and a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He was released from captivity on 4 March 1973 after six years of confinement.
Thad A. Eure: Thaddeus Armie Eure was an American politician who holds the record for the longest tenure as an elected official in the United States, serving as North Carolina Secretary of State from 1936 to 1989.
Nat Robertson: Nat Robertson is an American businessman and politician, who served as the mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina, from December 2, 2013, through December 2017. Robertson had previously served in the Fayetteville City Council for eight years (four terms). Mayors of Fayetteville are elected to two-year terms.
Phillip Kellam: Phillip Kellam is a politician from a well known political family in Virginia Beach. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the Commissioner of the Revenue for Virginia Beach since 1998. He ran for Congress in Virginia's 2nd congressional district in 2006.
Business and Academia
Elon alumni have made significant strides in the fields of business and academia.
James S. Denton: James Steele Denton was the publisher and editor of World Affairs and the director of the World Affairs Institute in Washington, D.C. Previously, Denton was the executive director of Heldref Publications, founded by Jeane J. Kirkpatrick and her husband Evron.
Addison Himes: Addison Himes’73 served as band director at Bluefield West Virginia before attending the University of North Texas where he earned the Master of Music degree in 1976, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1984. Today, Dr. Himes is Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is recognized as a conference presenter and panelist. Moreover, within NASM he was elected to the Board of Directors in 2002 and serves as a visiting evaluator for the Commission on Accreditation.
Chris Lorch: Chris Lorch’11 works with faculty and department staff at Duke University to create engaged learning experiences using technology. He provides technical support and leadership for projects and experiments which extend and enhance Duke’s eLearning Ecosystem. Before taking on a senior role, Chris previously worked as Academic Technology Consultant for Music and Digital Humanities at the Duke Center for Technology (CIT). He earned his B.S. in Music Technology from Elon University in 2011, with a minor in Communications and in Asian Studies.
Andrew Hopun: Andrew Hopun’13 is a Senior Instructional Designer at the University of Virginia where he designs and supports engaging learning experiences. Prior work includes e-learning, face-to-face, and blended learning design at Teachstone and for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. After completing his undergraduate degree at Elon, Andrew earned a M.A.Ed. in Instructional Design and Technology at Virginia Tech.
Cecelia Thompson: Cecelia Thompson’05 is the Executive Director at Action Greensboro. She is the co-founder of Young, Smart and Local, a network of more than 50 cities working to build diverse young talent through college student engagement, inclusion and retention. She was the Executive Director of Guilford Green Foundation from 2005-2008 and the Communications Officer of The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro from 2006-07.
Michael Capps: J. Michael Capps’99 is the Director of Bands at A.L. Stanback Middle School in Hillsborough, NC. Under Mr. Capps’ guidance, a continuous flow of A.L. Stanback band students qualify for All-District and All-State honor bands. In 2000, Mr. Capps was awarded First-Year Teacher of the Year. In 2006, the A.L. Stanback Jazz Ensemble was privileged to perform at the North Carolina Music Educators’ Conference in Winston-Salem, NC.
Brian Denny: After completing his undergraduate education at Elon, Brian Denny’99 completed a Master’s degree in Music Therapy at Illinois State University. He has worked in sales management and commercial building supplies. After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2010, Brain was determined to go back to work. In 2016 he was named South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation’s Client of the Year. Brian is now the Outreach Coord…
Other Fields
Elon University alumni have also made significant contributions to other fields, including activism and technology.
Yasmine Arrington: Yasmine Alexandra Arrington is the Founder and Executive Director of ScholarCHIPS and a 2015 winner of the Peace First Prize, the JM Kaplan Innovation Prize and DC Social Innovation Prize.
Christopher Knight: Robert Christopher Knight is a blogger and filmmaker based in Greenville, South Carolina who received much attention for a video he uploaded to YouTube and a subsequent copyright infringement clash with Viacom. The incident has since gone on to be cited in numerous legal writings and court cases involving digital copyright and the interests of corporations versus independent content producers.
Tyler Marenyi (NGHTMRE): Tyler Marenyi, better known by his stage name Nghtmre (stylized as in all caps; pronounced "nightmare"), is an American DJ and electronic dance music producer from Raleigh, North Carolina.
Parker Ulry: Parker Ulry’14 is the Senior Director of Digital Production Management at Interscope Records in Los Angeles, CA. After completing dual degrees in Music Production and Business Management at Elon, Parker went to work in digital marketing at Black Box and Warner Bros. Records before landing at Interscope. He also received an MBA from UCLA in 2023.
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