Notable alumni
Selected Vassar alumni
(chronologically)
(chronologically)
Chemist, first woman to graduate from MIT, Ellen Henrietta Swallow, picture from Class of 1870
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United States Navy Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper, class of 1928, inventor of the first compiler for a computer programming language
Acclaimed poet, Elizabeth Bishop, class of 1934
Academy Award-winning actress, Meryl Streep, class of 1971
Actress, Lisa Kudrow, class of 1985
Academics
- Laura Sumner, class of 1942 – numismatist
- Jane Kelley Adams, class of 1875 — educator
- Heloise Hersey, class of 1876 – professor of literature[1]
- Emily Jordan Folger, class of 1879 – co-founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library
- Anita Florence Hemmings, class of 1897 – Vassar College's first African-American graduate
- Scottie Fitzgerald, class of 1942 – writer and journalist, only daughter of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Ida Hill, class of 1901 – archaeologist, classical scholar and historian
- Belle Turnbull, class of 1904 – award-winning poet [2]
- Marion Coats Graves, class of 1907 - philosophy, first president of Sarah Lawrence College[3]
- Edith Clarke, class of 1908 – America's first female professor of electrical engineering
- Ruth Wendell Washburn, class of 1913 – educational psychologist
- Chen Hengzhe, class of 1919[4] – China's first female professor and a pioneer of vernacular literature
- Mildred H. McAfee, class of 1920 – president of Wellesley College and first director of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service)
- Caroline F. Ware, class of 1920 – professor of history at American University and a New Deal activist
- Jean Schneider, class of 1921 – Pulitzer Prize for History winner; research associate of Leonard D. White
- Mary Bunting, class of 1931 – microbiologist and president of Radcliffe College
- Millie Almy, class of 1936 – American psychologist and "Grandame" of early childhood education.
- Susan Casteras, class of 1971 – professor of art history at the University of Washington
- Winifred Asprey, class of 1938 – pioneering mathematician and computer scientist
- Nancy Nichols Barker, class of 1946 – professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin
- Jean Briggs, class of 1951 – anthropologist and expert on Inuit languages[5]
- Barbara W. Newell, class of 1951 – first female chancellor of the State University System of Florida, president of Wellesley College
- Eleanor M. Fox, class of 1956 - Walter J. Derenberg Professor of Trade Regulation in the New York University School of Law
- Margaret Dauler Wilson, class of 1960 – professor of philosophy at Princeton University
- Marcia P. Sward, class of 1961 – executive director of the Mathematical Association of America
- Ellen Rosand, class of 1961 – musicologist, historian, and opera critic
- Sau Lan Wu, class of 1963 – particle physicist and the Enrico Fermi Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Sandra Lach Arlinghaus, class of 1964 - mathematical geographer. Adjunct Professor, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor); Founder and Director Institute of Mathematical Geography.
- Susan W. Coates, MA 1968 – psychologist, Columbia University
- M. R. C. Greenwood, class of 1968 – health scientist, president of the University of Hawaii
- Nancy Dye, class of 1969 – president of Oberlin College
- Jo Ann Gora, class of 1969 – president of Ball State University
- Vera Schwarz, class of 1969 – Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University
- Eugenia Del Pino, class of 1969 – developmental biologist; first Ecuadorian citizen to be elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (2006)
- Erica Funkhouser, class of 1971 – poet, professor at MIT
- Christopher W. Morris, class of 1971 – professor and chair of philosophy at the University of Maryland
- Gloria Cordes Larson, class of 1972 – politician and president of Bentley University
- Judith Malafronte, class of 1972 – mezzo-soprano on the faculty at Yale University, winner of the Grand Prize at the International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch
- Michael Kimmel, class of 1972 – sociologist; distinguished professor of sociology at the Stony Brook University; spokesperson of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS)
- Darra Goldstein, class of 1973 – founding editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture; professor at Williams College
- Molly Nesbit, class of 1974 – modern and contemporary art historian[6]
- Anthony Apesos, class of 1975 – painter and professor of fine arts at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University
- Francisco Xavier Castellanos, class of 1975 – Director of Research at the NYU Child Study Center.
- Jane Margaret O'Brien, class of 1975 – professor of chemistry and president emerita of St. Mary's College of Maryland
- Richard L. Huganir, class of 1975 – professor and Director of the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience; investigator with Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Iris Mack, class of 1975 – writer, speaker, former MIT professor
- Jeffrey Schnapp, class of 1975 – former director of the Stanford Humanities Lab, faculty director at metaLAB (at) Harvard
- Rochelle Lieber, class of 1976 – professor of linguistics at the University of New Hampshire and co-editor in chief of the Language and Linguistics Compass
- Jyotsna Vaid, class of 1976 – professor of psychology at Texas A&M University
- Carole Maso, class of 1977 – novelist and essayist, professor of literary arts at Brown University
- Jamshed Bharucha, class of 1978 – former president of Cooper Union; cognitive neuroscientist
- Seamus Ross, class of 1979 – dean and professor at the iSchool at the University of Toronto; Founding Director of HATII
- John Carlstrom, class of 1981 – professor at the University of Chicago, MacArthur Award-winning astrophysicist
- Sarah Barringer Gordon, class of 1982 – Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania
- Heinz Insu Fenkl, class of 1982 – author, professor of English and Asian Studies at SUNY New Paltz
- Matthew Koss, class of 1983 – solid-state physicist and professor
- Valerie Martinez, class of 1983 - poet, retired professor of English and Creative Writing at Ursinus College, New Mexico Highlands University, College of Santa Fe, University of Miami, and Founding Director of Artful Life
- Mark Burstein, class of 1984 – executive vice president of Princeton University; president of Lawrence University
- Rebecca Reynolds, class of 1984 – poet, administrator and professor at Rutgers University
- Keith Scribner, class of 1984 – novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, essayist and professor at Oregon State University
- Alison Boden, class of 1984 – author, dean of religious life and the dean of the chapel at Princeton University.
- David B. Allison, class of 1985 – distinguished professor, Quetelet Endowed Professor of Public Health, UAB
- Andrea McCarren, class of 1985 – television journalist and educator, first teacher of broadcast journalism at Harvard University
- Tina Campt, class of 1986 – professor of women's studies at Barnard College
- Jennifer Summit, class of 1987 – professor of English, former chair of the Stanford University English Department
- Anne Brodsky, class of 1987 – professor in psychology and gender and women's studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Seamus Carey, class of 1987 – president of Transylvania University
- Michael Witmore, class of 1989 – Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library[7]
- Steven A. Cook, class of 1990 – Hasib J. Saabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations
- Greg Hrbek, class of 1990 – author and professor, Writer-in-Residence at Skidmore College
- Christina Maranci, class of 1990 – researcher, writer, translator, historian, and professor at Tufts University
- Maria Fadiman, class of 1991 – ethnobotanist and associate professor of geosciences at Florida Atlantic University
- Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas, class of 1991 – associate professor of ethics and society at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School
- Daniel Alexander Jones, class of 1991 – award-winning performance artist and playwright; assistant professor of theatre at Fordham University
- Sarah Churchwell, class of 1991 – professor of American literature and public understanding of the humanities at the University of East Anglia
- Kate Moorehead, class of 1992 – Episcopal priest and the tenth dean of St. John's Cathedral and the Diocese of Florida
- Matt Donovan, class of 1995 – poet, winner of a Whiting Award, chair of the creative writing department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design
- Erica Field, class of 1996 – economist, professor at Duke University, and winner of the Elaine Bennett Research Prize
- Emily Berquist, class of 1997 – assistant professor of history at California State University, Long Beach, writer, and historian
- Ross Benjamin, class of 2003 – translator of German literature
- John Figdor, class of 2006 – Humanist Chaplain at Stanford University
- Alice D. Snyder – class of 1909 (A.B.) and 1911 (A.M.), and Vassar College English professor from 1914 to 1943[8]
- Helen L. Webster (1853-1928), philologist and educator, taught at Vassar College from 1889 to 1890 before leaving for Wellesley College
Activists and philanthropists
- Mary Louise Frost, class of 1866 – peace activist, editor
- Mary Boyce Temple, class of 1877 – preservationist and philanthropist
- Susie Forrest Swift, class of 1883 - editor, Salvation Army worker, Catholic nun
- Ethel Moore, class of 1894 – civic, education, and national defense work leader
- Marion Cothren, class of 1900 – suffrage and peace activist, children's author
- Emma Waldo Smith Marshall, class of 1900 – missionary in Burma, taught Greek at a Baptist seminary
- Gertrude Gogin, class of 1908 – YWCA national secretary for girls' programs, 1918-1927
- Eleanor Fitchen, class of 1934 – landmarks and environment in New York State
- Lucy Kennedy Miller, class of 1902 – prominent American suffragist
- Sylvia McLaughlin, class of 1939 – environmental pioneer
- Patsy Bullitt Collins, class of 1942 – prolific donor and philanthropist
- June Jackson Christmas, class of 1945 – founder of community psychiatric program Harlem Rehabilitation Center
- Anne Hendricks Bass, class of 1963 – philanthropist, art collector, documentary filmmaker
- Phyllis Lambert, class of 1947 – philanthropist and member of the Bronfman family
- Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam, class of 1955 – conservationist and winner of the Presidential Citizens Medal
- Barbara Coombs Lee, class of 1969 – activist and president of Compassion & Choices
- Jonathan Granoff, class of 1970 – president of the Global Security Institute
- Jessie Gruman, class of 1975 – author, founder and president of the Washington-based Center for Advancing Health
- Urvashi Vaid, class of 1979 – political activist
- Simon Greer, class of 1990 – president and CEO of Nathan Cummings Foundation, president and CEO of the Jewish Funds for Justice
- Ilyse Hogue, class of 1991 – former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America
- Ronit Avni, class of 2000 – award-winning filmmaker, founder and executive director of Just Vision
- Emily Kunstler, class of 2000 – activist and documentary filmmaker
- Alexandra Sicotte-Levesque, class of 2000 – founder of Journalists for Human Rights
- Eliza Kennedy Smith, class of 1912 – prominent American suffragist and government watchdog
Adventurers and athletes
- Alice Huyler Ramsey, class of 1907 – first woman to cross the continent driving a car
- Ethan Zohn, class of 1996 – Survivor: Africa winner and philanthropist
Artists and architects
- Patty Prather Thum, class year unknown (19th century) – painter and art critic
- Ruth Maxon Adams, class of 1904 – architect
- Margaret Burnham Geddes, class of 1929 – architect and urban planner
- Elizabeth Bauer Mock, class of 1932 – influential advocate for modern architecture in the United States
- Linda Nochlin, class of 1951 – pioneer in the field of feminist art theory
- Mira Lehr, class of 1956 – artist
- Nancy Graves, class of 1961 – first woman to solo at the Whitney Museum of American Art
- Margaret McCurry, class of 1964 – architect
- Michael Portnoy, class of 1993 – multimedia artist, choreographer, musician, actor and curator
- Phyllis Lambert, class of 1947 – leading architect, creator of the Seagrams building in Manhattan, founder of the Canadian Centre for Architecture
- Mary Ping, class of 2000 – New York based fashion designer
- Clancy Philbrick, class of 2008 – contemporary artist
- Alexa Meade, class of 2009 – uses the human body as a canvas
- Ruth Inge Hardison – sculptor, artist, and photographer; studied music and creative writing
- Ruth Starr Rose – artist, lithographer, and serigrapher
- Elizabeth Coffin, class of 1870 – first person in the United States to receive their Master of Fine Arts
- Terry deRoy Gruber - Photographer and author
- Faith Holland, class of 2007
Business
- Mary F. Hoyt, class of 1880 – first woman to receive a position in the United States federal civil service
- Louise Seaman Bechtel, class of 1915 – head of the first children's book department in an American publishing house (Macmillan Co.)
- Martha Firestone Ford, class of 1946 – billionaire, chairman of majority owner of the Detroit Lions, boardmember Henry Ford Health System
- Martha Rivers Ingram, class of 1957 – chairman of Ingram Industries, multi-billionaire
- Nina Zagat, class of 1963 – co-founder of Zagat Survey
- Geraldine Laybourne, class of 1969 – creator of Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite; CEO of Oxygen Media
- Paula Madison, class of 1974 – former president of KNBC
- Ken Kaess, class of 1976 – former CEO of DDB Worldwide
- Robert Friedman, class of 1978 – president of Classic Media, New Line TV, and AOL, Interactive Marketing & TV
- Scott Kauffman, class of 1978 – former CEO of MDC Partners
- Phil Griffin, class of 1979 – president of MSNBC
- Lurita Doan, class of 1979 – founder of New Technology Management, Inc.
- James B. Rosenwald III, class of 1980 – co-founder and managing partner of Dalton Investments LLC
- Pamela Mars Wright, class of 1982 – Trustee of Vassar College, heir to the Mars fortune
- Mitch Feierstein, class of 1983 – investor, banker and writer
- Yannis Vardinoyannis, class of 1984 – billionaire; founding member of the Greek Super League and president in 2007; executive vice chairman of the independent oil refinery Motor Oil Hellas
- Jeanne Greenberg-Rohatyn, class of 1989 – owner of Salon 94
- Ian Gerard, class of 1990 – co-founder and CEO of Gen Art
- Caterina Fake, class of 1991 – founder of Flickr
- Elisabeth Murdoch, class of 1992 – CEO of Shine Limited, daughter of Rupert Murdoch
- Jon Fisher, class of 1994 – entrepreneur
- Lee Zalben, class of 1995 – founder of Peanut Butter & Co.
- Elisa Strauss, class of 1998 – proprietor of Confetti Cakes, a top New York City-based bakery specializing in custom designed cakes
- Katia Beauchamp, class of 2005 – founder and Co-CEO of Birchbox
- Yu Liu (or Eric Liu), class of 2008 – founder of One Cloud Technologies, later acquired by Alibaba Group[9]
Drama, film, and television
- Frances Sternhagen, class of 1951 – Tony Award-winning actress
- Zuzana Justman, class of 1954, documentary filmmaker and writer
- Toni Grant, class of 1964 – psychologist and radio host
- Rebecca Eaton, class of 1969 – Emmy Award-winning executive producer of Masterpiece on PBS; listed among Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" (2011)
- Margaret Lazarus, class of 1969 – Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker
- Ann Northrop, class of 1970 – journalist and activist; co-host of TV news program Gay USA
- Meryl Streep, class of 1971 – Academy Award-winning actress
- Mary Nissenson, class of 1974 – Peabody award-winning TV news reporter
- Eben Fiske Ostby, class of 1977 – animator, vice president of software at Pixar
- Chip Reid, class of 1977 – CBS Chief White House Correspondent
- Phil Griffin, class of 1979 – president of MSNBC
- Lloyd Braun, class of 1980 – media executive, president of ABC (2002–2004)
- Marion Lipschutz, class of 1980 – film director and co-founder of Incite Pictures
- Hung Huang, class of 1984 – fashion figure, publisher; listed among Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" (2011)[10]
- Jon Tenney, class of 1984 – actor
- Sakina Jaffrey, class of 1984 – actress
- Yvonne Welbon, class of 1984 – documentary filmmaker
- Andrew Zimmern, class of 1984 – chef and TV personality
- Lisa Kudrow, class of 1985 – Emmy Award-winning actress
- Jonathan Littman, class of 1985 – multiple Emmy Award-winning producer; president of Jerry Bruckheimer Television
- Hope Davis, class of 1986 – actress
- Dan Bucatinsky, class of 1987 – Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, and producer
- Paul Zehrer, class of 1987 – film and television director, writer, producer, and editor
- Kerri Green, class of 1989 – actress and producer
- Carlos Jacott, class of 1989 – actor and writer
- Saar Klein, class of 1989 – Academy Award-nominated film editor
- Tanya Wright, class of 1989 – actress
- John Gatins, class of 1990 – Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, Real Steel and Flight[11]
- Jonathan Karl, class of 1990 – ABC News Senior Political Correspondent, author
- Erika Amato, class of 1991 – singer, actress
- Noah Baumbach, class of 1991 – Academy Award-nominated writer, director
- Benjamin Busch, class of 1991 – actor, author, Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps
- Stacy London, class of 1991 – television host, author, and magazine editor
- Jason Blum, class of 1991 – producer of films, including Get Out and Academy Award-winning Whiplash
- Eddie Schmidt, class of 1992 – Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker
- Catherine Kellner, class of 1992 – actress and producer
- Judd Ehrlich, class of 1993 – director and producer
- Monica Macer, class of 1993 – writer and producer
- Carrie Kei Heim, class of 1994 – child actress, now an attorney
- Erin Daniels, class of 1995 – actress
- Lecy Goranson, class of 1996 – actress
- Ethan Zohn, class of 1996 – Survivor: Africa winner and philanthropist
- Jessi Klein, class of 1997 – Emmy Award-winning writer and comedian
- Angela Goethals, class of 1999 – actress
- Marguerite Moreau, class of 1999 – actress
- Jonathan Togo, class of 1999 – actor
- Matthew Newton, class of 1999 – actor
- Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, class of 2000 – two-thirds of the devised theatre company The Debate Society[12] and co-creators, writers, and producers of the HBO series Somebody Somewhere
- Justin Long, class of 2000 – actor, Apple Computer spokesperson
- Bradford Louryk, class of 2000 – Broadway artist and actor
- Penny Lane, class of 2001 – documentary director and producer, Our Nixon; assistant professor at Colgate University
- Shaka King, class of 2001-Academy Award-nominated film producer, screenwriter, and director of Judas and the Black Messiah
- Alexa Alemanni, class of 2002 – actress
- Adnan Malik, class of 2003 – Pakistani actor and filmmaker
- Julia Weldon, class of 2005 – actress
- Jonás Cuarón, class of 2005 – co-writer of Gravity
- Grace Gummer, class of 2008 – actress
- Sasha Velour, class of 2009 – winner of RuPaul's Drag Race (season 9)
- Aviva Drescher, American television personality
- Shaka King, Academy Award-nominated film director, screenwriter, and film producer
- Jeff Davis – writer and creator of police procedural drama Criminal Minds and MTV's Teen Wolf
- Kerri Green – actress, director
- Lisa Lassek – film producer and editor
- Jay Severin – commentator and talk radio host
- Sandy Stern – film producer, known for his work on the films Pump Up the Volume, Being John Malkovich, and Saved!
- Lisa Zane – actress
- Thomas Dean Donnelly – screenwriter of films such as Sahara and an upcoming adaption of the Uncharted video games
- Tom Gorai – film producer
- Alysia Reiner – actress in Orange is the New Black
- Lester Lewis, television writer and television producer, The Larry Sanders Show
- Lilli Cooper, class of 2012 – Tony-nominated actress in Tootsieand SpongeBob SquarePants, The Broadway Musical
- Ethan Slater-Tony-nominated actor in SpongeBob SquarePants, The Broadway Musical
- Malinda Kathleen Reese, YouTube personality, actress and singer[13]
- Raphael Raph Korine, Big Brother UK Runner Up in 2017, also studied in Zurich and Paris[14]
Espionage
- Elizabeth Bentley, class of 1930 – American spy for the Soviet Union
Fashion
- Louisa Gummer, class of 2013, model; daughter of Meryl Streep
Music
- Elizabeth Bristol Greenleaf, class of 1917 – collector of folk songs
- Jane O'Leary, class of 1968 – musician and composer
- Karen Petersen, class of 1976 - recording engineer, producer
- Jamie Broumas, class of 1981 – jazz singer, vocal instructor and arts administrator
- Jonathan Elliott, class of 1984 – Classical composer
- Drew Zingg, class of 1981 – guitarist for Steely Dan
- Joseph Bertolozzi, class of 1981 – composer and musician with works ranging from full symphony orchestra to solo gongs
- Amy Powers, class of 1982 – Emmy-nominated lyricist, songwriter and producer
- Alan Licht, class of 1990 – guitarist, composer, writer
- Erika Amato, class of 1991 – singer (Velvet Chain)
- Linda Lister, class of 1991 – soprano, soloist, professor at the University of Evansville
- Howard Fishman, class of 1992 – singer, guitarist, bandleader and composer
- Rachael Yamagata, class of 1996 – singer-songwriter
- Jamie Christopherson, class of 1997 – musician known for scoring movies and video games
- Amanda Forsythe, class of 1998 – award-winning soprano; particularly admired for her interpretations of baroque music and the works of Rossini
- Sam Endicott, class of 1999 – singer (The Bravery) and John Conway, class of 2000, keyboardist in The Bravery
- Brian Grosz, class of 1999 – alt-folk musician, member of Skabba the Hut
- Hayley Taylor, class of 1999 – singer-songwriter and actress whose songs have been featured on many popular television shows, including How I Met Your Mother, Royal Pains, and Pretty Little Liars
- The Hazzards – ukulele-based band, best known for their cult hit single "Gay Boyfriend"
- Victoria Legrand, class of 2003 – singer (Beach House)
- Genghis Tron, classes of 2005 and 2006 – band composed of Vassar graduates
- MS MR, class of 2010 – pop duo composed of Max Hershenow and Lizzy Plapinger
Politics and law
- Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch, class of 1878 – suffragette and daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Ōyama Sutematsu, class of 1882 – first Japanese woman to earn a college degree
- Crystal Eastman, class of 1903 – co-author of the Equal Rights Amendment
- Inez Milholland, class of 1909 – suffragist; known as the martyr of the women's suffrage movement
- Elinor Morgenthau, class of 1913 – Democratic party activist and spouse of Henry Morgenthau Jr.
- Catherine Bauer Wurster, class of 1926 – urban housing reformer
- Katherine Elkus White, class of 1928 – Democratic Party politician and diplomat, who served as Mayor of Red Bank, New Jersey (1951–1956), chairwoman of the New Jersey Highway Authority (1955–1964), and United States Ambassador to Denmark (1964–1968)
- Lydia Stevens, class of 1939 – Connecticut House of Representatives (1988, 1990) as a Republican, president of the Greenwich Broadcasting Company
- Emily W. Sunstein, class of 1944 – campaigner, political activist and biographer
- Patricia M. Byrne, class of 1946 – U.S. Ambassador to Burma
- Frances Farenthold, class of 1946 – Texas State Legislator and human rights activist
- Julie Finley, United States ambassador
- Pauline Newman, class of 1947 – Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Anne Armstrong, class of 1949 – first female Counselor to the President; Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1976–1977); recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Selwa Roosevelt, class of 1950 – Chief of Protocol of the United States for almost seven years (1982–1989)—longer than anyone has ever served in that position.
- Sylvia Bacon, class of 1952 – judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; considered by both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States, at a time when no women had yet been appointed to the Court
- Sarah Goddard Power, class of 1957 – Democratic Party activist and University of Michigan Regent
- Patricia Fleming, class of 1957 – first director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP)
- Pamela Ann Rymer, class of 1961 – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Julia Donovan Darlow, class of 1963 – attorney and member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents
- Diana Gribbon Motz, class of 1965 – Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Margaret Milner Richardson, class of 1965 – IRS commissioner (1993–1997)
- Bobbie Kilberg, class of 1965 – Republican operative who has worked for Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
- Susan Combs, class of 1966 – Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Linda Fairstein, class of 1969 – prosecutor in the "Preppie Murder" trial of Robert Chambers and head of sex crimes unit in the Central Park jogger case; author
- Catherine Abate, class of 1969 – New York state senator, president and CEO of the Community Healthcare Network
- Margarita Penón Góngora, class of 1970 – First Lady of Costa Rica (1986–1990); advocate and promoter of the principal Gender Equality Law approved by Congress in 1989
- Betsy McCaughey, class of 1970 – 72nd Lieutenant Governor of New York (1995–1998), influential critic of Bill Clinton's healthcare proposal
- Linda R. Greenstein, class of 1971 – legislator and politician, New Jersey State Senate, 14th district
- Robert H. Edmunds Jr. – Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- Vicki Miles-LaGrange, class of 1974 – first African-American female to become a United States Attorney
- Richard W. Roberts, class of 1974 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Nancy Killefer, class of 1975 – government consultant
- Jeffrey Goldstein, class of 1977 – Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance (2010–2011), managing director of the World Bank
- Alison Renee Lee, class of 1979 – South Carolina Circuit Judge in the Fifth Judicial Circuit and is a nominee for United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.
- Rick Lazio, class of 1980 – United States Representative
- Bala Garba Jahumpa, class of 1980 – Gambian politician and diplomat
- Lee A. Feinstein, class of 1981 – U.S. Ambassador to Poland (2009–2012).
- Benson Whitney, class of 1982 – U.S. Ambassador to Norway
- Cheryl Kagan, class of 1983 – Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003
- Sherrilyn Ifill, class of 1984 - President and Director-Counsel of NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- Marc Thiessen, class of 1989 – White House speechwriter (2004–2009)
- Alfonso H. Lopez, class of 1992 – Virginia State Delegate
- Carrie Goldberg, class of 1999 – attorney who specializes in sexual privacy violations
- Deborah L. Wince-Smith – president of the Council on Competitiveness
Science and medicine
- Christine Ladd-Franklin, class of 1869 – psychologist
- Ellen Swallow Richards, class of 1870 – chemist
- Frances Fisher Wood, class of 1874 - educator and scientist
- Ellen Churchill Semple, class of 1882 – geographer
- Alice G. Bryant, class of 1885 - otolaryngologist and inventor
- Antonia Maury, class of 1887 – astronomer
- Margaret Floy Washburn, class of 1891 – psychologist
- Millicent Todd Bingham, class of 1902 – geographer
- Ruth Benedict, class of 1909 – anthropologist
- Edith Banfield Jackson, class of 1916 – behavioral pediatrician
- Mary Calderone, class of 1925 – physician
- Harriet Guild, class of 1920 – physician
- Grace Hopper, class of 1928 – computer scientist
- Grace Lotowycz, class of 1938 - botanist; alpinist; Women Airforce Service Pilots
- Marian Koshland, class of 1942 – immunologist who discovered that the differences in amino acid composition of antibodies explains the efficiency and effectiveness with which they combat a huge range of foreign invaders
- June Biedler, class of 1947 biomedical scientist
- Vera Rubin, class of 1948 – astronomer
- Beatrix Ann (McCleary) Hamburg, class of 1944 – first African American admitted to Vassar; psychiatrist, medical researcher
- Lois Haibt, class of 1955 – computer scientist
- Heather Lechtman, class of 1956 – materials scientist and archaeologist; Director of the Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology (CMRAE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Macarthur Award winner
- Olga F. Linares, class of 1958 – anthropologist and senior researcher at STRI
- Patricia Goldman Rakic, class of 1959 – neuroscientist
- Bernadine P. Healy, class of 1965 – cardiologist; Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (1991–1993), dean of Ohio State University Medical School; president of the American Red Cross (1999–2001)
- Valerie Rusch, class of 1971 – thoracic surgeon, Miner Family Chair for Intrathoracic Cancers and Vice Chair for Clinical Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Ellen Kovner Silbergeld, class of 1967 – engineer
- Alice F. Healy, class of 1968 – psychologist
- Claudia L. Thomas, class of 1971 – surgeon, helped form the Students' Afro-American Society (SAS) and pushed for the Black Studies program at Vassar
- Anne B. Young, class of 1969 – neuroscientist
- Jeffrey Brenner, class of 1990 – founder and executive director of Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers; 2013 MacArthur Award ("Genius Grant") winner
- Maria Fadiman, class of 1991 – ethnobotanist
Writers
- Carol Brightman – author
- Celeste Gold Broughton – writer
- Patricia Buckley Bozell – author and publisher
- Marion Hamilton Carter - educator, journalist, author
- Elizabeth Williams Champney, class of 1869 – author of Three Vassar Girls series
- Barbara Culliton, science journalist and editor
- Dorothy Deming, nurse and author
- Rebecca Odes - author and co-founder of Gurl.com
- Mary Harriott Norris, class of 1870 – author and dean of women
- Mary Parker Woodworth, class of 1870 – writer and speaker
- Maria Brace Kimball, class of 1872 – educator, elocutionist, writer
- Eva March Tappan, class of 1875 – author
- Amy Wentworth Stone, class of 1898, – children's book author
- Jean Webster, class of 1901 – author of Daddy Long Legs
- Agnes de Lima, class of 1908 – author of Our Enemy the Child
- Elizabeth Page, class of 1912 – author of The Tree of Liberty (1939)
- Edna St. Vincent Millay, class of 1917 – poet
- Nora Benjamin Kubie, class of 1920 – children's writer
- Lois Long, class of 1922 – writer for The New Yorker
- Angelica Gibbs, class of 1930 – short story writer for The New Yorker and novelist
- Marie Rodell, class of 1932 – literary agent and author who managed the publications of much of environmentalist Rachel Carson's writings, as well as the first book by Martin Luther King Jr.
- Mary McCarthy, class of 1933 – novelist, critic
- Elizabeth Bishop, class of 1934 – Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950
- Eleanor Ruggles (1916-2008) class of 1938, biographer[15]
- Ruth Stiles Gannet, class of 1944 – author of the My Father's Dragon series
- Shana Alexander, class of 1945 – first woman staff writer and columnist for Life magazine
- Sue Kaufman, class of 1947 – author best known for the novel Diary of a Mad Housewife
- Charlotte Curtis, class of 1950 – New York Times editor[16]
- Alexandra Ripley, class of 1955 – writer best known for Scarlett (1991), the sequel to Gone with the Wind
- Jane Kramer, class of 1959 – journalist for The New Yorker
- Mary Oliver, class of 1959 – poet
- Gloria Guardia, class of 1962 – novelist and critic
- Barbara McMartin, class of 1964 – mathematician who became an environmentalist and author of books on the Adirondack Mountains
- Penelope Casas, class of 1965 – food writer, cookbook author and expert on the cuisine of Spain
- Susan Gordon Lydon, class of 1965 – feminist writer known for "The Politics of Orgasm"
- Reggie Nadelson class of 1966 – mystery novelist and biographer
- Lucinda Franks, class of 1968 – writer for The New York Times and The New Yorker
- Sally Gibson, class of 1968 – author, archivist and heritage consultant
- Mindy Aloff, class of 1969 – editor, journalist, essayist, and dance critic
- Jane Smiley, class of 1971 – novelist
- Esther Friesner, class of 1972 – science fiction and fantasy author
- Paula Volsky, class of 1972 – fantasy author
- Marian Thurm, class of 1974 – author of short stories and novels, has taught Creative Writing at Yale and Columbia
- Elizabeth Spires, class of 1974 – poet and children's book writer
- Paco Underhill, class of 1975 – environmental psychologist and business writer
- Judith Regan, class of 1975 – publisher
- Michael Gross, class of 1975 – writer and editor
- Karen Petersen, class of 1976, poet, short story writer and journalist
- Avery Cardoza, class of 1977 – writer, gambler and publisher
- Lucette Lagnado, class of 1977 – journalist and novelist
- David Wong Louie, class of 1977 – writer and essayist
- Janet McDonald, class of 1977 – writer of young adult fiction
- Michael Specter, class of 1977 – journalist for The New Yorker and The New York Times
- Leonard Steinhorn, class of 1977 – author of The Greater Generation: In Defense of the Baby Boom Legacy; political analyst
- Victoria Strauss, class of 1977 – fantasy and science fiction author
- Josip Novakovich, class of 1978 – writer and professor
- Eric Marcus, class of 1980 – non-fiction writer
- Melissa Holbrook Pierson, class of 1980 – writer and essayist of non-fiction
- Peter Spiegelman, class of 1980 – crime fiction author and former Wall Street executive
- Ned Balbo, class of 1981 – poet
- Heinz Insu Fenkl, class of 1982 – writer, editor and translator
- Kimberly Quinn, class of 1982 – journalist, commentator and magazine publisher and writer
- Matthew Kauffman, class of 1983 – Hartford Courant journalist
- Valerie Martinez, class of 1983 - poet, retired professor of English and Creative Writing at Ursinus College, New Mexico Highlands University, College of Santa Fe, University of Miami, and Founding Director of Artful Life
- A. V. Christie, class of 1985 – poet
- David Oliver Relin, class of 1985 – journalist and co-author of the book Three Cups of Tea
- Scott Westerfeld, class of 1985 – author of the Uglies series, among other novels[17]
- Thomas Beller, class of 1987 – author
- Evan Wright, class of 1987 – author, best known for Generation Kill
- Mariah Fredericks, class of 1988 – author
- Adam Langer, class of 1988 – author
- Elizabeth Gaffney, class of 1988 – novelist and editor
- Sydney Pokorny, class of 1988 – writer, editor, columnist and activist
- Rebecca Stead, class of 1989 – author of children's literature
- Andy Towle, class of 1980 – blogger and media commentator, editor-in-chief of Genre magazine
- Richard Miniter, class of 1990 – investigative journalist and bestselling author
- Jen Van Meter, class of 1990 – comic book writer best known for her Oni Press series Hopeless Savages as well as series at Marvel and DC Comics
- Nunzio DeFilippis, class of 1991, and Christina Weir, class of 1992 – husband and wife comic book writing team
- Greg Rucka, class of 1991 – comic book writer
- Daphne Kalotay, class of 1992 – novelist, short story writer, and professor
- Meghan Daum, class of 1992 – author, essayist, and journalist
- Renee Gladman, class of 1993 – author, poet, and visual artist
- Sarah Gray Miller, class of 1993 – editor in chief of lifestyle and decorating magazine Country Living
- Megan Crane, class of 1994 – novelist
- Katherine Center, class of 1994 – author
- Andrew J. Porter, class of 1994 – short-story writer, novelist, and professor
- Joe Hill, class of 1995 – novelist, Heart-Shaped Box; son of Stephen King
- Jeremy Jackson, class of 1995 – author of several novels and cookbooks
- Ryan Singel, class of 1995 – blogger, co-founder of Contextly and Threat Level
- Carolyn Mackler, class of 1995 – author
- Rachel Simmons, class of 1996 – Rhodes Scholar and author
- Taije Silverman, class of 1996, poet
- Owen King, class of 1999 – author; son of Stephen King
- Melissa Walker, class of 1999 – author
- Stephen Motika, class of 1999 – poet, editor, and publisher
- Jesse Ball, class of 2000 – poet and author
- Shaenon K. Garrity, class of 2000 – webcomics writer and artist
- Aimee Friedman, class of 2001 – writer of young adult fiction
- Alexandra Berzon, class of 2001 – writer
- Shelby Bach, class of 2008 – author
- M.J. Alexander
- Augusta Clawson
- Geri Doran – poet
- Michael Scharf – poet and critic
- Jane Mead – writer
- Delia Sherman – fantasy writer and editor
- Kimberly McCreight – author and lawyer
- Rosianna Halse Rojas – writer, video blogger, social media manager and online personality
- Michael Wolff, class of 1975 – author of Fire and Fury
Attended, but did not graduate
- Anthony Bourdain (graduated from The Culinary Institute of America), chef, writer
- Janet Cooke, journalist forced to return a Pulitzer Prize for a fabricated story (claimed to have had a degree but did not)[18]
- Mike D (Michael Diamond), rapper (Beastie Boys)
- Jane Fonda (graduated from The Actors Studio), actress
- Katharine Graham (graduated from the University of Chicago), publisher of The Washington Post
- Anne Hathaway (graduated from New York University), actress
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (graduated from George Washington University), First Lady
- Mark Ronson DJ
- Curtis Sittenfeld (graduated from Stanford University), author
- Anne-Marie O'Connor, (graduated from University of California at Berkeley), journalist, award-winning author of "The Lady in Gold, the Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"
- Neil Strauss (graduated from Columbia College), author and journalist
- Rachael Yamagata (graduated from Northwestern University), singer
Fictional
As a famous and historically important college, Vassar has attracted much attention in fictional works. A partial list of cultural references to Vassar can be found here: Vassar College in popular culture.