Alumni
No matter where you go after graduation, you'll always be a Jayhawk Journalist. Our alumni work across the globe in countless fields, sharing their skill with the world.
Notable Alumni
Sally Buzbee
Sally Buzbee, j'88, was named executive editor of The Washington Post in 2021. She is the first woman to hold the role. Before that, she was executive editor of The Associated Press.
Mary Murguia
Mary Murguia, j’82, is chief judge for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the nation’s largest federal appeals court. Murguia is the first Latina and second woman to hold the position.
Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan, j'82, joined CBS Sports in 1998 as an NFL play-by-play announcer, after having served in the same capacity for Fox Sports since 1994. He spent nine seasons as the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Meka White Morris
Meka White Morris, j'04, is senior vice president and chief revenue officer for the Minnesota Twins in 2021. Morris, the Twins’ highest-ranking Black executive, is one of five Black women in Major League Baseball to hold a C-suite-level position.
Alumni News
Elizabeth Trudeau
Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau, j'91, is a senior member of the Foreign Service and began serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs in 2022.
Travis Goff
Travis Goff, j'03, was selected as the director of athletics for KU in 2021. He had been deputy director of athletics and assistant vice president of development title at Northwestern University since 2012.
Mandy Matney
Mandy Matney, j'12, reporter for FITSNews, had one of the highest-rated podcasts last year. "Murdaugh Murders" focused on several murders within a powerful South Carolina family.
Sarah Smarsh
Sarah Smarsh, j'03, published her first book in 2018. "Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth" became an instant New York Times bestseller and a National Book Award finalist.
More Notable Alumni
- Katie Briscoe, president at MMGY Global
- Sally Buzbee, the Washington Post executive editor
- Francesca Chambers, senior White House correspondent, McClatchy
- Jenni Carlson, sports columnist at The Oklahoman
- Rich Clarkson, president at Clarkson Creative, former photographer for Sports Illustrated and National Geographic
- Ashleigh de la Torre, director of public policy, Amazon
- Rustin Dodd, features writer at The Athletic, New York
- Steve Doocy, Fox News anchor, New York Times bestselling author
- Bob Dotson, documentarian and NBC reporter
- Travis Goff, athletic director, University of Kansas
- Annie Gowen, national correspondent, The Washington Post
- Brad Hanna, executive vice president, director of business strategy, Barkley
- Brian Hanni, Voice of the Jayhawks
- Liz Hawks, senior vice president and partner, FleishmanHillard
- Kevin Helliker, former senior editor at Wall Street Journal, awarded 2004 Pulitzer for Explanatory Reporting
- Marcus Hollinger, senior vice president at Reach Records
- Bob Holtzman, former ESPN reporter, director of player promotion, Major League Baseball Players Association
- Krista Klaus, director of global corporate communications, Garmin
- Bill Kurtis TV journalist and producer
- Molly McNearney, co-head writer of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
- Sam Mellinger, vice president of communications for the Kansas City Royals
- Laura Okmin, NFL sideline reporter
- Jessica (Nelson) Palm, vice president, marketing and public relations at Kansas City Area Development Council
- Brianne Pfannenstiel, chief politics reporter at The Des Moines Register
- Barb Rosewicz, former Wall Street Journal reporter, research and information, project manager at Pew Center
- Jim Ryun, former U.S. Representative, former world record holder in mile and 1500
- Derek Schmidt, Kansas attorney general
- Jerry Seib, Washington Bureau Chief, Wall Street Journal
- Sarah Smarsh, New York Times bestselling author
- Joshua Smith, creative strategist at Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network
- Craig Welch, National Geographic environment writer
From Jayhawk Boulevard and Beyond
Our alumni make a difference everywhere they go. Catch up with some of their most recent accomplishments in the Kansas Alumni Magazine.
Read Kansas Alumni Magazine