List of University of West Florida people

Foliage at UWF

The official list of notable alumni and faculty of the University of West Florida.^[1]

The University of West Florida, also known as West Florida and UWF, is a mid-sized public university located in Pensacola, Florida, United States. The university enrolls approximately 12,000 students as of Fall 2009.^[2]

UWF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. It is a doctoral/research university, specializing in engineering and the humanities. Its mascot is an Argonaut, and its logo is the Chambered Nautilus.

Notable alumni

Academics

Kenneth Cockrell

Ambassador Martinez

Bruce Melnick

• Michael DeMaria - author
• P.S. Ruckman, Jr. - nationally recognized pardon expert; editor, PardonPower blog^[3]

Athletics

• Daniela Cruz - professional soccer player for the Costa Rica women's national football team
• Mark Ettles - former MLB player for San Diego
• Roy Jones, Jr. - world champion boxer
• Moochie Norris - former NBA player
• Jodi-Ann Robinson - UWF soccer player, represented Canada at the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics
• Keith Savage - professional soccer player with the Portland Timbers of USL-1
• Kevin Warrick - golfer, low amateur at 2002 U.S. Open
• John Webb - former MLB player for Tampa Bay

Business

• James Ellis - President and CEO of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations at Lockheed Martin, former U.S. Navy Admiral
• Tom Keiser - CIO of GAP Inc.
• Bruce Edward Melnick - Vice President of Boeing Company's Integrated Defense Systems group, former NASA astronaut
• Marc D. Oken - former CFO of Bank of America, 2004-2005
• Hansel Tookes - CEO of Raytheon Aircraft

Entertainment and television

• Katherine David Céspedes - winner of the 2007 Miss Bolivia pageant, represented her country in the Miss Universe 2008 pageant
• Michael DeMaria - author
• Namrata Singh Gujral - Hollywood actress, producer Americanizing Shelley; also Passions, The Agency
• David Hart - actor, most known for his role as Sgt. Parker Williams in In the Heat of the Night television series (1988-1995)
• Jan Hooks - Saturday Night Live performer (attended; did not graduate)
• Robert P. Watson - professor, author, and frequent media commentator
• Fez Whatley - co-host of The Ron & Fez Show on Sirius/XM

Military, space, and aviation

• John W. Bergman - United States Marine Corps lieutenant general
• Jim Buchili - former NASA astronaut
• Kenneth Cockrell - former NASA astronaut
• Patricia Denkler - first woman to land a jet on an aircraft carrier; in 1982, the first woman to land a combat jet on an aircraft carrier
• James O. Ellis - retired Admiral with the United States Navy
• Michael L. Ferguson - Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army
• Mark P. Fitzgerald - Vice Admiral and current Director of Navy Staff for the United States Navy
• Charles H. Johnston - Vice Admiral and current Vice Commander of the Naval Air Systems Command
• Bryan Daniel O'Connor - former NASA astronaut
• John L. Phillips - NASA astronaut
• William H. Plackett - former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
• Richard N. Richards - former NASA astronaut
• Rear Admiral Edward G. Winters, III - Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command

Politics

• Robert E. "Bob" Barton - former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
• David L. Brewer III - superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District
• Lacey Collier - Senior Status United States District Judge, Northern District of Florida
• Mike Hill - member of the Florida House of Representatives
• Mike Jacobs - Illinois state senator from the 36th district
• Carmen Martinez - U.S. ambassador to Zambia
• Jerry L. Maygarden - former member of the Florida House of Representatives
• Dave Murzin - former member of the Florida House of Representatives
• Curtis Richardson - former member of the Florida House of Representatives
• Margaret "Casey" Rodgers - Chief United States District Judge, Northern District of Florida
• Ray Sansom - former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives

Science

• Kenneth M. Ford - computer scientist, chairman of National Science Board Committee on Programs and Plans, founder of Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition

Notable faculty

• Judith A. Bense - University President, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology, renowned archaeologist of the Southeastern United States
• James Bezdek - Distinguished Professor of the Department of Computer Science; founding editor of the International Journal of Approximate Reasoning and IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems; creator of the Fuzzy C-Means clustering algorithm; recipient of the 2001 Fuzzy Systems Pioneer Award, the IEEE Third Millennium Medal, and the 2007 IEEE Frank Rosenblatt Award
• Dallas Blanchard - sociologist
• Dr. M. Lal Goel - political scientist, author
• Susan W. Harrell - distinguished legal studies faculty
• Patrick Moore - Distinguished Professor of Public History, selected Carnegie Foundation CASE U.S. Professor of the Year for the State of Florida in 2007
• Robert Yeager - Professor and Chair of English Department, writer on Medieval Studies who co-authored Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery with Terry Jones

References

1. Facts About UWF Alumni
2. Headcount enrollment by level
3. http://news.uwf.edu/index.php/2013/04/university-west-florida-presents-2013-alumni-awards/