Notable Alumni of Macalester College: Shaping the World Through Leadership and Service

Macalester College, a private liberal arts school, boasts a six-year graduation rate of 92%. Its alumni reflect Macalester’s worldliness. This article celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of Macalester College alumni, highlighting their diverse achievements in various fields and their dedication to service and leadership.

Celebrating Women's History Month: Notable Female Alumni

In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Mac Weekly interviewed six of Macalester’s notable female alumni about their studies and careers. These women have lived impressive lives that inspire the current generation of Macalester women.

Lois Quam '83: Championing Reproductive Health and Justice

Lois Quam ’83 is among the most notable female alumni of Macalester College. She was on Fortune’s list of the most influential women leaders in business three times and is the Chief Executive of the global health nonprofit organization Pathfinder, which is focused on reproductive health and justice. Quam pursued a political science major and a history minor, interested in ways people create social change. Reflecting on her time at Macalester, she noted that her involvement in the school and community foreshadowed her future career. Quam became a student at Macalester only a few years after Roe v. Wade. After graduating from Macalester, Quam went to graduate school and earned a master’s degree in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University and became a Rhodes Scholar. Alongside her work in the global health sector, Quam is the author of the book “Who Runs the World? Unlocking the Talent and Inventiveness of Women Everywhere,” which she is launching this week in celebration of International Women’s Day in the United States. Quam believes that reproductive justice, which she defines as all women having autonomy over their bodies, is essential to the creation of a more just world. “[Women must] be our whole selves and to find purpose in our life,” Quam said. “I have three children, [and have] done interesting work [because] I wanted to have both. I wanted to work and I wanted to have children. I think as women we can sometimes [forget] to pursue our dreams and so if I could speak to my younger self or to you, [I would encourage you to] pursue them.

Strong: Advocating for Indigenous Rights and Social Justice

An enrolled citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton/Mdewakanton Dakota Oyate, Strong graduated from the Red School House in St Paul. “I always had that lens of Indigenous rights and social justice,” Strong said. And as far as she knew, Strong was the only pregnant student on campus, having two of her three kids while enrolled. She chose Macalester in large part for its accessibility and the financial aid she received. “Financially, it was more accessible at that time,” Strong said. “I don’t think those kinds of resources exist anymore, I left Macalester only $1,200 in debt. “There weren’t many students of color on campus [but Mac] had a really strong American Indian student support program,” Strong said. “I think there’s been a lot of shifts in what’s being offered in terms of American Indian student support. After leaving Mac, Strong worked for 16 years less than a mile from campus at the Ain Dah Yung Center, which provides shelter, housing, and prevention services for Indigenous youth. During her time at Ain Dah Yung, Strong rose in the ranks to serve on the board. “I felt like I wanted to be able to address root causes of social issues and social justice issues rather than help people cope with those injustices,” Strong said. “No one [program] alone can really address the issues that our people face,” Strong said. “Most of the wealth that we know today was built off of our lands and on brown and black labor, exploited,” Strong said. “Know what your issue is, know what you want to accomplish, know who your allies are … ensure that whoever you’re involving are those that are going to be impacted the most by it,” she said. “You were born for this time.

Joan Velásquez '63: Addressing Health Issues in Bolivia

For Joan Velásquez ’63, Macalester College opened her eyes to the world. While it was initially intimidating to move from a small town to the Twin Cities, Mac’s international student population allowed Velásquez to meet people she would never have met had she stayed in her hometown. Velásquez was a sociology major. “People see a sociology degree and say, what is that worth?” she said. Velásquez graduated around the height of the Vietnam War. In 1967, inspired by John F. Kennedy, Velásquez joined the Peace Corps. “Joining the Peace Corps [was] doing something very different from military service, something positive,” Velásquez said. “And that was a very exciting kind of alternative. Upon returning from Bolivia, Velásquez earned both her master’s and doctorate degrees, working as a clinical social worker. She received a grant for a social work program that aimed to train social workers to work effectively with communities of color. Along with another Mac graduate, Velásquez ran various Latino learning centers and taught students. Eventually, she was hired by Ramsey County as a research director. In 1994, all her hard work culminated in her biggest project yet, the result of an unexpected setback. When Velásquez was just two years old, she contracted polio and was placed in an iron lung. With frequent hospitalizations, she was able to live a relatively normal life. “There’s a whole lot you can do while lying in bed,” she told me. She and her husband Segundo co-founded the Mano a Mano International organization to address critical health issues in rural Bolivia. Macalester College helped Velásquez discover the values that most mattered to her. “I can’t overemphasize [this]: listen, observe, pay attention, come in trying to clear your mind of the sense that you already know something,” Velásquez said. “Try to understand as much as possible about different views of the world.” “What are your core values as a person? Passions? What interests and excites you?” she said.

Peterson: Researching How Chemicals Cause Cancer

One of Peterson’s main reasons for attending Macalester was the opportunities it provided for undergraduate lab experience. Most undergraduates at larger schools were not offered lab opportunities, but Peterson had two: one at a University of Minnesota pharmacology lab, and the other synthesizing arc beetle pheromones as her Macalester honors thesis. “I really started graduate school with a leg up because I knew how to function in a lab,” Peterson said. Macalester also allowed Peterson to embrace the variety offered by a liberal arts education. For instance, she made sure to take at least one non-science class each semester. After her postdoc, Peterson took a job in carcinogenesis at the American Health Foundation in Valhalla, NY. “My second advisor told me that he didn’t think I should pursue academics,” Peterson recalled. “Because if I have babies on my mind, I’m not going to be able to focus on research. Peterson, however, proved them wrong. Her initial proposal was accepted and her research was funded, which was rare, especially for new researchers. A few years later, Peterson was recruited to teach at the University of Minnesota. She started as an associate professor, and is now tenured. While teaching there, Peterson has researched how chemicals cause cancer. “I don’t know what it’s going to be yet,” she said. “Be curious and explore things that interest you and try not to be just on a path,” Peterson said. “Students today think that they have to come out of college trained to do something.

Kate Ryan Reiling '00: Entrepreneurship and Innovation

At Macalester, Kate Ryan Reiling ’00 majored in political science and minored in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and Spanish. She also played soccer and studied away in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where she did work around labor rights and sweatshops. After graduate school at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, Reiling founded a successful startup game company. “[The game came from] this idea of how [to] be creative and silly together and have fun,” Reiling said. The company, Morphology Games, went on to design other games, an expansion pack and an app. A few years after working at Morphology Games, Reiling did entrepreneurship work at Macalester. She taught internet entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor of economics for a year, then worked with Jody Emmings, the current Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Idea Lab, to build the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “Being part of a community that’s invested in the growth and the potential of human beings and the impacts that we hope those humans have on the world is inspiring,” Reiling said. powers tried to transition the Bolivian economy without understanding the practical realities in Bolivia. In 2021, Reiling started to work at the African Leadership University (ALU), which aims to provide accessible high-quality education focused on entrepreneurship. ALU was founded by Fred Swaniker ’99. At ALU, Reiling serves as Chief Experience Officer. “They’re so fun and hopeful and they want to make an impact in the world,” Reiling said. “I think there’s a sense of, ‘oh, when I get to “x” point in my life, I’m gonna know things,’” Reiling said. “And the reality is you’re just gonna have a different set of questions. It’s important to answer the questions because the work is around discovery.

Dr. Christy Haynes '98: Inspiring Future Scientists

Dr. Christy Haynes ’98 graduated with a chemistry major, a Spanish minor and a mathematics concentration. Neither of Haynes’ parents attended college, and they were not supportive when their daughter decided she was going to be the first in their family to pursue higher education. “I definitely was envious of the people that were in the position to [join clubs and be involved with the Macalester community], which was almost all of my friends,” Haynes said. When speaking of her time at Macalester, it is clear that Haynes appreciated the professors the most. She spoke very highly of the Macalester chemistry professors who inspired her to pursue a career in chemistry. “[Hoye] was a really important faculty member in my life because she was a woman, a chemistry professor and had young kids while I was [at Mac]. After graduating from Macalester, Haynes went to graduate school at Northwestern University, she got her masters of science in 1999 and her doctorate in 2003. “Every time I was in a room or in a class or in a club or wherever, I kind of felt like, ‘maybe I’m not good enough for this,” Haynes said. “Maybe I don’t belong here. Maybe I’m not a real scientist.’ [Reorient that and say]: ‘Actually, it’s the frame that is the problem. It wasn’t built for me. It was built for me as a white person, but it wasn’t built for me as a first-gen woman who’s never had a science person in [her] life.

Notable Alumni by Category

Macalester College has produced notable alumni in various fields, including arts and entertainment, politics, business, and academia.

Arts and Entertainment

Danai Gurira: Zimbabwean-American actress, playwright, and activist, known for her roles in "The Walking Dead" and "Black Panther."
Peter Berg: American director, producer, writer, and actor, known for films like "Friday Night Lights" and "Lone Survivor."
Ari Emanuel: American businessman and the CEO of Endeavor, an entertainment and media agency.
Carl Lumbly: American actor, best known for his role in "M.A.N.T.I.S."
Bob Mould: American musician, known for his work with Hüsker Dü and Sugar.
Mary Karr: American poet, essayist, and memoirist, author of "The Liars' Club."
Dave Fennoy: American voice actor, known for his roles in video games like "The Walking Dead" and "Batman: Arkham Knight."
Walter Kirn: American novelist, literary critic, and essayist, author of "Up in the Air."
Duane Hanson: American artist and sculptor, known for his life-sized realistic sculptures.
Ursula Vernon: American freelance writer, artist, and illustrator, winner of Hugo Awards for her graphic novel Digger.
Gaelynn Lea Tressler: American folk singer, violinist, public speaker, and disability advocate.
M.anifest: Ghanaian musician, rapper, and record producer.
Will Sheff: Frontman for the Austin, Texas-based indie band Okkervil River.
Mac King: American magician who has performed on television specials.
Joey Waronker: Drummer, known for his work with Beck, R.E.M.
Chris Wedes: Portrayed the clown J.P. Patches on the Emmy-winning J.P. Patches.

Politics and Diplomacy

Kofi Annan: Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Walter Mondale: American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States.
Olli Rehn: Finnish public official who has been serving as governor of the Bank of Finland since 2018.
Scott McCallum: American businessman and former politician.
George Latimer: Former mayor of St. Paul.
James C. O'Brien: American attorney and diplomat who served as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs in the Biden administration.
Rebecca Otto: American politician who served as State Auditor of Minnesota from 2007 to 2019.
Bobby Joe Champion: American attorney and politician serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate.
Joe Radinovich: American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Business and Entrepreneurship

Ari Emanuel: CEO of Endeavor, an entertainment and media agency.
Fred Swaniker: Ghanaian serial entrepreneur and leadership development expert.
Joseph J. Allaire: American-born software engineer and Internet entrepreneur, creator of ColdFusion.

Academia and Research

Alice Echols: Professor of History, and the Barbra Streisand Chair of Contemporary Gender Studies, at the University of Southern California.
Anthony Weston: American writer, teacher, and philosopher.

Other Notable Alumni

Dave Zirin: American political sportswriter.
DeWitt Wallace: American magazine publisher.
William Henry Dietz: American football player and coach.
B. Todd Jones: American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Toby J. Heytens: American attorney and law professor who is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Lillian Dickson: Independent missionary, author, and public speaker.

Alumni Awards

Macalester College recognizes alumni achievements through several awards:

Read also: Explore Macalester's Achievements

The Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award: Honors alumni who have partnered with communities worldwide in efforts to collaborate on regional economic growth, strengthen the social fabric, and protect the environment. Henryka Manès ’74 received this award.
The Distinguished Citizen Award: Recognizes alumni who have exercised leadership in civic, social, religious, and professional activities. Gerri (Ego) Allen ’69 and Desmond Kimo Runyan ’72 have received this award.
The Alumni Service Award: Presented to alumni whose significant service and consistent loyalty to the college has set an outstanding example of volunteerism. Dr. Karen Codjoe ’74, Dr. Rippy, and Niloy Ray ’99 have been recipients of this award.
The Young Alumni Award: Recognizes alumni who have graduated in the past 15 years.

tags: #macalester #college #notable #alumni