Max Levchin

University of Illinois, 1997

Max Levchin is the CEO and visionary behind Slide, a social entertainment company and developer of engaging applications for social networks including MySpace and Facebook. Levchin is also renowned as the co-founder of PayPal and as an expert in combating online fraud. Before starting Slide, he incubated several other start-ups, including Yelp, where he currently sits as Chairman of the Board.

Levchin started PayPal in 1998, took the company public in 2002 and then sold it to eBay for more than $1.5 billion at the age of 26. Slide, founded in 2004, was recently purchased by Google (August, 2010) for $182 million. Levchin also sits on the board of several other companies. (hide text)

Patty Berg

University of Minnesota

Patty Berg was an American golfer, winner of more than 80 tournaments, including a record 15 major women's championships, and first president and co-founder of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Berg won the first U.S. Women's Open in 1946, and she won the Titleholders Championship and the Western Open seven times each when they were major tournaments. She promoted women's golf at thousands of clinics during her career.

Berg was one of four original inductees into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1951, and in 1978 she became one of two women inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1978 the LPGA established the Patty Berg Award for outstanding contributions to women's golf; the prize was awarded to Berg in 1990. (hide text)

Mark Cuban

Indiana University, 1981

Mark Cuban is the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and chairman of HDNet, a HD TV cable network. Since his purchase of the Mavericks in January 2000, Cuban has not only succeeded in instilling a sense of pride and passion into Mavericks fans, but he also became the first owner in team sports to encourage fan interaction through e-mail on his personal computer. He has personally responded to thousands of emails, and several suggestions from fans have led to innovative changes.

Prior to his purchase of the Mavericks, Cuban co-founded Broadcast.com, the leading provider of multimedia and streaming on the Internet, in 1995, selling it to Yahoo! in July of 1999. Before Broadcast.com, Cuban co-founded MicroSolutions, a leading National Systems Integrator, in 1983, and later sold it to CompuServe. Today, in addition to his ownership of the Mavericks, Cuban is an active investor in leading and cutting-edge technologies and continues to be a sought-after speaker. (hide text)

George Nissen

University of Iowa, 1937

George Nissen was an American gymnast and inventor who developed the modern trampoline and made trampolining a worldwide sport. In 1934, he invented the first prototype of the device loved by tumblers, athletes, adults and children around the world. In 1941, he opened Griswold-Nissen Trampoline and Tumbling Co. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which manufactured and sold gymnastics equipment. During World War II, Nissen served in the Navy while trampolines were used to train pilots to learn how to orient themselves in the air. After the war, he started heavily promoting the trampoline by staging competitions and introducing it around the world.

More than 60 years after Nissen tested his first workable prototype, the trampoline debuted as a medal sport in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. An annual international trampoline competition in Switzerland is called the Nissen Cup, and what is now known as the Nissen-Emery Award has been given to the top male senior collegiate gymnast since 1966. At the time of his death, Nissen also held more than 40 patents related to sports and fitness. (hide text)

Julie Aigner-Clark

Michigan State University, 1988

Julie Aigner-Clark, a former English and art teacher, founded The Baby Einstein Company in 1996. Her goal was to provide fun, interactive ways to expose babies and moms to the arts and nature. Aigner-Clark's first two videos -- Baby Einstein and Baby Mozart -- were filmed in her basement using borrowed equipment, and edited on a home computer. Five years, 30 children's books, 10 videos, and six music albums later, Aigner-Clark sold Baby Einstein to The Walt Disney Company for an undisclosed sum. In 2001, the year of acquisition, the company's sales exceeded $17 million, and Baby Einstein-branded products could be found at retailers nationwide.

Aigner-Clark is now Creative Director for Aigner Clark Creative. The first brand developed by the company -- The Safe Side -- was launched in May 2005 and benefits The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children. The Safe Side's first home video -- Stranger Safety -- was awarded three Emmys and named 2005 Video of the Year by Parenting Magazine. Aigner-Clark is also a two-time breast cancer survivor, and recently authored a children's book that helps mother's explain cancer treatment to their children in an optimistic and loving way. (hide text)

James Earl Jones

University of Michigan, 1953

James Earl Jones is a distinguished and versatile American actor of stage and screen with a career spanning more than four decades. He is often best-known by many people, however, as the "Voice of Darth Vader" in Star Wars or as the booming "Voice of CNN" due to his deep and recognizable voice.

Some of his many film roles include Field of Dreams, The Great White Hope (for which he received a Best Actor nomination), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger. In addition to his voiceover work for the Star Wars trilogy and CNN, Jones also provided the voiceover for the opening of the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics and the voice of Musafa in The Lion King and its sequel. As an accomplished stage actor, he won Tony awards in 1969 for The Great White Hope and in 1987 for Fences. Other awards include the National Medal of Arts Award in 1992 for his services to American culture, Kennedy Center Honors in 2002, and a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Screen Actors Guild in 2009, as he was honored by his peers. (hide text)

Rocky Wirtz

Northwestern University, 1975

W. Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz is chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks and president of Wirtz Corporation. Under Wirtz's leadership, the Blackhawks hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2010, the team's first championship in 49 years. Along with the Blackhawks, Wirtz' role as president of Wirtz Corporation extends to a vast array of businesses, including Wirtz Beverage Group, which employs more than 3,000 professionals nationally. Wirtz oversees Wirtz Corporation's commercial and residential real estate companies, an insurance company and banks in Illinois and Florida. He is also the co-chairman of the Executive Committee of the United Center.

Wirtz is involved with numerous civic and charitable organizations. Blackhawk Charities, founded by his late father, has donated millions of dollars to organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, Blackhawk Alumni Scholarship Fund and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.(hide text)

Judith Sweet

University of Wisconsin, 1969

Judith Sweet is a distinguished leader in intercollegiate athletics. Sweet was elected to a two-year term as president of the NCAA in January 1991 and was secretary-treasurer of the NCAA from 1989 to 1991, becoming the first woman to serve in each of those positions. She most recently served as NCAA Senior Vice President for Championships and Education Services, retiring in 2006. During her tenure as NCAA Senior Vice President, Sweet's responsibilities included oversight for 84 NCAA Championships and serving as a primary contact for Title IX and Gender Equity Initiatives.

Sweet has received many national awards, including the NACWAA Administrator of the Year and the NACDA James J. Corbett Award. In conjunction with the NCAA's Centennial Celebration in 2006, she was named one of the 100 most influential student-athletes and in 2007 was named by the Institute for International Sports as one of The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America.(hide text)

Mannie Jackson

University of Illinois, 1960

Mannie Jackson was a standout player for the Harlem Globetrotters and later became the first African-American to own a major international sports/entertainment organization when he purchased the Globetrotters in 1993. Jackson achieved a dramatic corporate turnaround, reviving the near-bankrupt organization and restoring its status around the world, while increasing revenue five-fold and rebuilding the fan base to near record levels. During Jackson's regime, the Globetrotters charitable contributions totaled more than $11 million. In Sept 2005, Jackson sold 80 percent of the Globetrotters to Shamrock Capital Growth Fund and stepped away from the day-to-day operations. Jackson remains the Globetrotters' Chairman of the Board.

Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2002 and most recently served as Chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees. (hide text)

Don Roy King

Penn State University, 1969

Don Roy King is the current director of Saturday Night Live, having assumed the role in 2006. King has led a distinguished directing career and is well-known for directing live television. Some of his notable directing work includes the Survivor finales, and news programs The Early Show and Good Morning America. Additionally, his earlier work included The Mike Douglas Show and Kids are People Too.

In August 2010, King won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special for the episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Betty White. He has also been nominated for numerous other Primetime Emmy Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, and Directors Guild of America awards.(hide text)

Brian Lamb

Purdue University, 1963

Brian Lamb is the founder and chief executive officer of C-SPAN, a private, non-profit company, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a public service. C-SPAN's mission is to provide public access to the political process. Prior to founding C-SPAN, Lamb was a member of the United States Navy and worked in various jobs in the communication field including journalist and political press secretary. In 1977 Lamb pitched the idea for the network to industry executives. C-SPAN began broadcasts two years after the idea was approved and today employs close to 300 people and offers three 24-hour television networks.

Lamb has conducted over 1,000 interviews in his lifetime, starting in high school and continuing on C-SPAN programs including Booknotes and Q&A. He has compiled multiple books from his work on Booknotes. In February 2003, Lamb was awarded the National Humanities Medal. In November 2007, Lamb received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work on C-SPAN.(hide text)

Allan H. (Bud) Selig

University of Wisconsin, 1956

Allan H. (Bud) Selig was elected the ninth Commissioner of Baseball in July 1998 by a unanimous vote of the 30 Major League Baseball club owners. He had held the role since 1992 on an interim basis.Selig began his participation in baseball as a majority shareholder of the Boston Braves in the early 1950s. He later purchased the bankrupt Seattle Pilots franchise and moved it to Milwaukee, renaming them the Brewers. Among the events occurring under Selig's watch are: realignment of divisions, and institution of wild card and divisional playoffs; implementation of interleague play; and first year in which home-field advantage in the World Series is awarded to the team whose league wins the All-Star Game.

Selig has won numerous honors and awards throughout his career including The Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, the "Award of Excellence" from the Sports Lawyers Association, the "Frederick Douglass Medallion" from the New York Urban League for his work in promoting equality and fairness, and the 2006 Executive of the Year by the Sports Business Journal. Additionally, Selig is involved with several non-profit and community organizations.(hide text)

Guion "Guy" Bluford, Jr.

Penn State University, 1964

Guion "Guy" Bluford, Jr. is an engineer, retired Colonel from the United States Air Force and a former NASA Astronaut. He participated in four Space Shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992. In 1983, as a member of the crew of the space shuttle Challenger on mission STS-8, Bluford became the first African-American in space. During Bluford's 29 years in the United States Air Force, he served as an Air Force tactical fighter pilot in Vietnam, instructor pilot, staff development engineer, Branch Chief of the Aerodynamics and Airframe Branch of the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory and NASA Astronaut. He has over 5,200 hours of jet flight in ten different aircraft.

Dr. Bluford is currently Founder and President of The Aerospace Technology Group (ATG), an aerospace technology and business consulting organization specializing in aviation and space related technology development, analysis, and marketing related activities. He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997 and inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010.(hide text)

Patty Stonesifer

Indiana University, 1982 and 2007

Patty Stonesifer was named in September 2008 as chair of the Smithsonian Institution; the first chair of the Board of Regents, the Smithsonian's governing body of 17 trustees who are appointed by Congress and include the chief justice of the United States, the vice president, three senators and three representatives, and nine other citizens approved by the board. She joined the Regents in 2001 and was also chair of the institution's governance committee.

Stonesifer is the former chief executive of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's biggest charities and the largest charitable organization based in the United States. She served in that role from January 2006 until September 2008 after having served as the foundation's president and co-chairwoman.

Prior to her role with the foundation, Stonesifer spent nine years at Microsoft where she rose to become the highest-ranking woman in the company and was in charge of interactive media. In July 1996, she was named as one of the 25 Most Influential People in America by Time.(hide text)

Tennessee Williams

University of Iowa, 1938

Tennessee Williams - American dramatist, playwright, and writer - was one of America's major mid-twentieth-century playwrights. Born Thomas Lanier Williams, he changed his name to Tennessee after his father's birthplace. He is best known for his powerful plays, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. His first critical acclaim came in 1944 when The Glass Menagerie opened in Chicago and went to Broadway.

He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948 and for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955. In addition, The Glass Menagerie (1945) and The Night of the Iguana (1961) received New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards. His 1952 play - The Rose Tattoo - received the Tony Award for best play. In 1980 he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. (hide text)

Morten Andersen

Michigan State University, 1982

Morten Andersen is a former NFL kicker. He holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, as well as being the all-time leading scorer for two different teams; the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent 13 seasons, and the Atlanta Falcons, with whom he spent a combined eight seasons. Overall, Andersen holds five NFL records, four Pro Bowl records and two team scoring records.

A lefty kicker, Andersen's proficiency with field-goal kicking earned him the nickname "Mr. Automatic." Over his 25-year NFL career he was a three-time All Pro (1st Team), and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times (six with the Saints, and once with the Falcons). Other distinctions include the 1986 and 1995 Golden Toe Award, the NFL 1980's All-Decade Team and the NFL 1990's All-Decade Team.(hide text)

Philip (l.) and Julius (r.) Epstein

Julius Epstein and Philip Epstein

Penn State University, 1931

Identical twin screenwriters Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein are likely best remembered for their adaptation of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's that became the screenplay for the film Casablanca. The Epstein twins, along with the team of writers won an Academy Award for Casablanca in 1944. The brothers formed a writing team in 1938 that flourished in Hollywood for many years, much of their time spent writing for Warner Brothers. Their combined talents span almost 50 years of filmmaking and their many works (credited and uncredited) included The Strawberry Blonde, Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Male Animal, My Foolish Heart, and Arsenic and Old Lace, among many others. Their prolific output is all the more remarkable in that they never typed a script, choosing instead to write in longhand.

Following Philip Epstein's early death at the age of 42, Julius Epstein completed several additional plays and film scripts, receiving three subsequent Oscar nominations. In 1998, he received a Los Angeles Film Critics Association career achievement award. (hide text)


Steve Chen	Jawed Karim

Steve Chen and Jawed Karim

University of Illinois, 2002 (Chen), 2004 (Karim)

Steve Chen and Jawed Karim are two of the three co-founders of YouTube, the popular video sharing website that allows browsers to view or upload short video clips ranging from home videos to excerpts of sitcoms or movies. Chen and Karim met while working at PayPal where they discussed their shared frustration with their inability to share their home videos over the internet. After starting the company in a garage, Karim uploaded the first video in April 2005. Within a year of its inception, YouTube became one of the most trafficked websites on the Internet; by late 2006 YouTube was drawing nearly 100 million viewers each day.

Google purchased the company in late 2006 for $1.65 billion in stock. Today, Chen remains the Chief Technology Officer at YouTube. Karim has recently founded Youniversity Ventures, a venture fund aimed at helping university students launch their business ideas.(hide text)

Tony Dungy

University of Minnesota, 1976

Tony Dungy is the former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl with a victory in Super Bowl XLI. In December 2008, after securing his tenth straight playoff appearance, Dungy set a new NFL record for consecutive playoff appearances by a head coach. Dungy joined the Colts in 2002 after serving as the most successful head coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history. He has also held assistant coaching positions with the University of Minnesota, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. Before becoming a coach, Dungy played three seasons in the NFL.

Since his retirement from coaching, Dungy has served as a prominent analyst on NBC's Sunday night studio show. Dungy is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Quiet Strength and Uncommon.(hide text)

Neil Armstrong

Purdue University, 1955

An American aviator and former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor and United States Naval Aviator, Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. This accomplishment occurred during his second and final mission into space, during which he commanded the Apollo 11. Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was in the United States Navy and served in the Korean War. Post war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics where he flew over 900 flights in a variety of aircraft. He was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft and has flown over 200 different models. After Apollo 11, Armstrong held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.

Since his famous words," one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong has received many special honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. He has also been decorated by 17 countries.(hide text)

Stephen Colbert

Northwestern University, 1987

Stephen Colbert is the host and executive producer of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series on Comedy Central, The Colbert Report. The Colbert Report launched on October 17, 2005. Since its inception, the series has garnered a prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting in 2008 and 15 Primetime Emmy nominations. Last fall, Colbert and his writing team won the show's first Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program.

Colbert made a name for himself as a member of Chicago's famed Second City improv troupe. He was later a cast member and writer on ABC's The Dana Carvey Show and wrote for Saturday Night Live. Prior to The Colbert Report, Colbert was the longest-tenured and most diverse correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has contributed to and co-authored books, and his book I AM AMERICA (And So Can You!) spent 29 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller's List, occupying the No. 1 spot for 13 weeks.(hide text)

Roy Lichtenstein

Ohio State University, 1946 and 1949

Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. His work was heavily influenced by both popular advertising and the comic book style. In 1961, Lichtenstein began his first pop paintings using cartoon images and techniques derived from the appearance of commercial printing. His first work to feature the large scale use of hard edged figures and Benday Dots was Look Mickey (1961, National Gallery, Washington DC). His most famous image is arguably Whaam! (1963, Tate Gallery, London), one of the earliest known examples of pop art, featuring a fighter aircraft firing a rocket into an enemy plane with a dazzling red and yellow explosion.

In 1996, the National Gallery in Washington D.C. became the largest single repository of the artist's work when Lichtenstein donated 154 prints and two books. In total there are some 4,500 works thought to be in circulation. Some of his many awards include the 1995 National Medal of the Arts and the 1995 Kyoto Prize. (hide text)

Drew Brees

Purdue University, 2001

Drew Brees was selected the 2010 Super Bowl MVP after he led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

Additionally, he finished the season with a completion percentage of 70.62, establishing a new NFL record. In Brees' five years as quarterback with the San Diego Chargers and four years with the New Orleans Saints, he has been elected to four Pro Bowls. He also was named the 2004 Comeback Player of the Year, 2006 All-Pro team honoree, 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl XLIV Champion, as well as MVP.

Brees established the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003 and since then has raised and/or committed over five million dollars to help advance cancer research, care for cancer patients, and help rebuild schools, parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields in New Orleans, San Diego, and Purdue/West Lafayette, Ind., communities.(hide text)

Joe Girardi

Northwestern University, 1986

Joe Girardi is the current and 32nd manager of the New York Yankees, and a former Major League Baseball catcher. In 2009, his second year as manager, he led the Yankees to win their 40th AL pennant and their 27th World Series title by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies. It marked Girardi's first World Series title as manager, and the Yankees' first since 2000.

He made his MLB debut in 1989 and played for 15 seasons as a catcher with the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. Girardi was a member of three World Series Championship squads in New York and, while playing for the Cubs, was named to the 2000 All-Star team. He retired as a catcher in 2004. He went on to manage the Florida Marlins in 2006, where he was named National League Manager of the Year. (hide text)

Jack Nicklaus

Ohio State University, 1961

Jack Nicklaus is the current record holder for the most "major championship" titles in golf with 18 PGA Tour, eight Senior PGA Tour, and two Amateur titles. He was selected the "Greatest Golfer/Athlete" by Sports Illustrated; GOLF Magazine; Associated Press; Golfweek; GolfWorld; PGATOUR.com and GolfWeb; ESPN; British Broadcasting Company; and Today's Golfer, as well as "Golfer of the Century" in 1988 by GOLF Magazine and in 1996 by Golf Monthly, U.K. He won five PGA Player of the Year awards (1976-75-73-72-67) and was named the Athlete of the Decade for the 1970s as selected by Sports Illustrated.

Nicklaus' off-course activities include golf course design, charitable work, book writing, magazine article contributions, video productions, and running his own tournament on the PGA Tour - the Memorial Tournament. His golf course design company is one of the largest in the world.(hide text)

Dick Durrell

University of Minnesota, 1948

Dick Durrell, a former advertising executive, was the founding publisher of People Magazine, a weekly magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. It was founded as a spin-off from the "People" page in Time magazine. Prior to his advertising and publishing career, Durrell spent a three-year stint in the Marine Corps during World War II and later turned down offers to sign with both the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

Durrell spent the early part of his career at Time Inc. - which had Life, Time, Fortune and later Sports Illustrated under its umbrella - in Minnesota. In 1956, he moved to work for the company's advertising sales department in New York, then left for three years to run a private ad firm, but returned to the publishing company in 1962. In 1973, with Life magazine's run ended, he helped found and operate People, which has been one of the top-selling publications worldwide for years.(hide text)

Gerald Ford

University of Michigan, 1935

Gerald Ford was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974. At the time he began his presidency, his many challenges included mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to ensure world peace.

During World War II, Ford attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy. After the war, he embarked on his law career and entered politics. Before ascending to the vice-presidency, Ford served nearly 25 years as Representative from Michigan's 5th congressional district, eight of them as the House Minority Leader. Following his years as president, Ford lectured at hundreds of colleges and universities. The former President has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors by many civic organizations. He has also been the recipient of many honorary Doctor of Law degrees from various public and private educational institutions.(hide text)