Famous Alumni of University Of Texas At Arlington

Why UTA Alumni Stand Out (Hint: Location + Momentum)

UTA sits in Arlington, Texasstrategically wedged between Dallas and Fort Worthso students grow up professionally in a region where industries
overlap: aerospace and defense, tech and logistics, healthcare, finance, media, and the business ecosystem that keeps the Metroplex humming.
That proximity matters. It makes internships more accessible, networking more realistic, and “I’ll figure it out later” a lot harder to justify.

UTA also has a reputation for producing doers: people who learn the theory, then immediately ask, “Cool… but how does this work in the real world?”
Look at the alumni below and you’ll notice a pattern. Many weren’t chasing fame. They were chasing competenceand fame (or at least serious impact)
showed up as a side effect.

Quick List: Famous and Notable UTA Alumni (Jump Links)

• Kalpana “K.C.” Chawla (astronaut)
• Robert L. Stewart (soldier, astronaut)
• Dr. Lori S. Glaze (NASA leader)
• Greg Abbott (Governor of Texas; attended UTA)
• Gen. Tommy Franks (U.S. Army general)
• Dr. Kathleen Cooper (economist; U.S. Commerce)
• Kelcy Warren (energy executive)
• Fred Perpall (architecture & design leadership)
• Teresa White (Aflac executive)
• Hunter Pence (MLB player; attended UTA)
• Lou Diamond Phillips (actor)
• Lauren Lane (actress & professor)
• Karen Borta (journalist)
• Mike Rhyner (sports radio personality)
• Jingdong Hua (World Bank leader)

Astronauts, Engineers, and NASA Minds

Kalpana “K.C.” Chawla: From Engineering Student to Space History

Kalpana Chawla is one of UTA’s most recognized alumni worldwidean aerospace engineer who earned a master’s degree from UTA and later became an
astronaut. Her story resonates for a simple reason: it’s proof that “space is too far away” is not a fact. It’s a mood. And moods can be changed
by education, grit, and a refusal to let your origin story limit your destination.

Beyond her achievements, Chawla’s legacy is woven into UTA’s identitystudents regularly see her name tied to campus spaces and tributes, a reminder
that learning doesn’t have to stay inside the classroom. If you’re looking for the most “UTA” takeaway from her path, it’s this:
precision matters, preparation matters, and big dreams still require small, daily reps.

Robert L. Stewart: Spaceflight Meets Military Leadership

Robert L. Stewart represents a different flavor of UTA excellence: a career that blends technical rigor with leadership under pressure.
Stewart flew on Space Shuttle missions and later served in high-level military roles. That combo is rare because it requires two skill sets
that don’t always share a lunch table: the patience to do complex technical work and the decisiveness to lead people when the stakes are high.

His story highlights how UTA’s engineering and applied-science pathways can feed into national-scale missions. The lesson for students isn’t
“become an astronaut.” It’s “build a skill stack.” When you combine technical competence with leadership ability, you become useful in rooms where
real decisions are made.

Dr. Lori S. Glaze: Science, Systems, and the Calm Confidence of Expertise

Dr. Lori S. Glaze is another standout UTA alum connected to NASA leadership. With degrees in physics from UTA, she’s been recognized for work that
connects scientific understanding to real mission outcomesexactly the kind of “translate complexity into action” skill that separates strong
academics from strong leaders.

Glaze’s career also shows how a STEM path can evolve: you may start out thinking you’re “just” learning physics, then discover you’re actually
learning how to solve ambiguous problems, communicate uncertainty, and still make decisions. That’s not just sciencethat’s a superpower in
modern organizations.

Government and Public Service

Greg Abbott: Public Service with a UTA Chapter

Texas Governor Greg Abbott studied finance at UTA before completing his undergraduate degree elsewhere. Whether someone graduates from a university
or attended for a key part of their education, the impact can be real: those formative years shape how people think about systems, leadership,
and public responsibility.

Abbott’s path also illustrates an underrated point about famous alumni lists: they aren’t just celebrity roll calls. They’re proof that universities
can function like career “on-ramps”a place where people test-drive disciplines, find mentors, and build the confidence to pursue bigger roles.

Gen. Tommy Franks: A Degree, a Military Career, and a National Spotlight

Gen. Tommy Franks earned a business degree from UTA and went on to become a prominent U.S. Army general. His biography is a reminder that education
doesn’t always follow a neat timeline. Sometimes people step away, recalibrate, and return to finish. What matters is the direction of the curve,
not whether the path looks pretty on a brochure.

For students, the practical takeaway isn’t “aim for a four-star rank.” It’s simpler: finishing what you start changes your options. A completed
degree can unlock programs, promotions, and roles that might otherwise stay out of reach.

Dr. Kathleen Cooper: Economics, Energy, and Policy in the Real World

Dr. Kathleen Cooper’s career sits at the intersection of economics, business, and government service. She’s been associated with high-level
economic roles, including work connected to federal economic policy. If you’re the kind of person who reads the news and thinks, “Okay, but how do
they actually decide that?”this is the kind of career that answers the question.

Cooper’s story is also a helpful counterbalance to the myth that only “flashy” careers matter. Economic leadership often happens behind the scenes,
but it shapes decisions that affect millions of people. If you want impact without a spotlight, economics and policy work can be a very powerful lane.

Martha Burk: Advocacy, Research, and Changing the Conversation

Martha Burk is known for work focused on women’s issues and advocacy, backed by serious academic training. In alumni terms, she represents a classic
UTA theme: using education as a tool to change institutions, not just participate in them.

If you’re building a career in public policy, psychology, communications, or nonprofit leadership, Burk’s trajectory shows how research and advocacy
can reinforce each other. When your ideas are supported by evidence, your voice carries fartherand it’s harder to dismiss.

Business Leaders and Big-Impact Executives

Kelcy Warren: Energy Infrastructure and Executive Scale

Kelcy Warren is one of UTA’s most high-profile business alumni in the energy sector. His career is tied to large-scale infrastructurework that
requires engineering literacy, financial strategy, and long-term thinking. Love or hate the complexity of the energy world, it’s hard to deny that
it shapes daily life in America: heating, electricity, supply chains, and the movement of goods.

What’s especially notable is how “un-glamorous” the origin can look. Infrastructure is rarely trending on social mediauntil it breaks.
But the people who build and manage it quietly influence the world at massive scale.

Fred Perpall: Architecture, Leadership, and Building the Built World

Fred Perpall earned architecture degrees from UTA and became a leader in the design and construction industry. Architecture alumni are often
misunderstood as “people who draw pretty buildings.” In reality, the profession is a crash course in constraints: budgets, safety, human behavior,
physics, timelines, stakeholder opinions, and the eternal question, “Can we do this without it collapsing or costing a billion dollars?”

Perpall’s path shows how a creative discipline can scale into executive leadership. Design thinking isn’t just artisticit’s strategic.
The ability to guide complex projects from concept to reality is highly transferable across industries.

Teresa White: Operations, Strategy, and Modern Corporate Leadership

Teresa White (a UTA business graduate and recognized Distinguished Alumni honoree) became a prominent leader in insurance operations.
Her career highlights a form of success that’s becoming more valuable every year: operational excellence. In plain English,
she’s someone who helps large organizations run bettermore efficiently, more fairly, and with stronger alignment between what they say and what they do.

If you want a practical model for business students, it’s this: you don’t have to invent a viral app to lead. You can build a career by learning how
organizations work, how people work, and how to improve systems without breaking the parts that already function.

Jingdong Hua: Global Finance and the World Bank Connection

Jingdong Hua earned an MBA in finance from UTA and has held senior leadership roles connected to global development finance.
That’s a reminder that “UTA alumni impact” isn’t limited to Texasor even to the United States. Alumni have taken UTA training into international
institutions where the decisions aren’t just about profit, but about stability, growth, and long-term economic development.

For students and early-career professionals, his story reinforces an encouraging truth: a degree from a public university can be a launchpad to
global-level responsibility, especially when paired with strong performance and continuous learning.

Entertainment and Media

Lou Diamond Phillips: From Campus Arts to Hollywood and Broadway

Lou Diamond Phillips is one of the most widely recognized UTA graduates in entertainment. He’s known for film and stage work, including a standout
early role that introduced many people to his talentand a career that proved he wasn’t a one-hit wonder. His path also reflects something UTA does
well: supporting people who aren’t just “talented,” but disciplined enough to turn talent into craft.

Performing arts careers are often portrayed as pure luck. In reality, they’re built on training, resilience, and showing up ready when opportunity
appears. The humorous part? The “overnight success” usually happens about ten years after the overnight part was supposed to kick in.

Lauren Lane: Acting, Teaching, and the Long Game of a Creative Career

Lauren Lanebest known to many as C.C. Babcock on The Nannyis another UTA alum whose career spans performance and teaching.
That combination matters. It demonstrates that creative careers can evolve into leadership roles in education, mentorship, and training the next
wave of performers.

Her story also highlights the value of a strong foundation: a serious arts education doesn’t lock you into one kind of job. It can prepare you to
perform, direct, teach, produce, and build a long-lasting professional identity that isn’t dependent on one show or one season of popularity.

Karen Borta: Journalism, Broadcasting, and a Career Built on Trust

Karen Borta graduated from UTA with a communications background focused on broadcasting and built a long-running career in journalism.
If you’ve ever watched the news and thought, “That person seems calm while the world is on fire,” that’s not an accident.
Broadcast journalism rewards preparation, clarity, and credibilityskills that are trained, not magically bestowed by good lighting.

Her career is a great example for students who want work that matters but still depends on practical craft: writing tight, telling stories clearly,
and earning audience trust over time.

Mike Rhyner: The Voice of DFW Sports Radio

Mike Rhyner is a UTA alum known for shaping sports radio culture in the Dallas–Fort Worth market, including leadership in launching one of the
region’s most recognizable sports-talk brands. Radio success is often dismissed as “just talking.” But great radio is closer to live theater
mixed with journalism: you have to inform, entertain, react in real time, and keep an audience engaged when your only special effect is your voice.

Rhyner’s career also shows how communications degrees can translate into entrepreneurship. Media isn’t just performanceit’s building formats,
teams, and products people return to day after day.

Sports: UTA Pride with Pro-Level Results

Hunter Pence: Big-League Baseball with a UTA Chapter

Hunter Pence attended UTA before becoming a Major League Baseball outfielder known for energy, grit, and a style that looked like it was powered by
pure enthusiasm. (Not a scientific termbut watch him play and tell me it’s wrong.)

His story is a reminder that college athletics can be both a development pipeline and a personal test. Even elite athletes have to learn:
how to train consistently, how to handle setbacks, and how to adapt when the competition level jumps. Whether you’re in sports or not, that mindset
translates to any competitive career.

Bonus Maverick: Cliff Odom and the NFL Path

Another notable UTA sports figure is Cliff Odom, who played football at UTA and went on to an NFL career. His path highlights how a university’s
athletic programs can create opportunities that extend far beyond campusespecially for athletes who combine performance with professionalism.

What These Alumni Stories Have in Common

A “famous alumni” list can feel like a highlight reelcool, but distant. The value is in the patterns:

• They built skill before spotlight. Competence came first; recognition followed.
• They used UTA as a launchpad, not a waiting room. Internships, mentors, labs, studios, and student media matter.
• They leaned into the DFW ecosystem. Being in a major metro means more industry touchpointsand less excuse to stay isolated.
• They kept evolving. Many alumni shifted roles (performer to teacher, engineer to leader, specialist to executive).

If you want to “copy” something from famous alumni, copy the unglamorous parts: consistency, curiosity, relationship-building, and the willingness
to start where you are.

FAQ: People Also Ask

Does UTA have an official list of notable alumni?

YesUTA highlights alumni and notable attendees through official university pages and alumni features. These lists are useful because they confirm
educational ties and provide context beyond just a name.

Are famous alumni only celebrities and politicians?

Not at all. Many of the most impactful alumni are “famous” inside their industries: executives, economists, scientific leaders, and innovators whose
work affects millions of people even if they aren’t trending on social media.

What’s the best way for students to connect with alumni?

Start practical: attend alumni events when possible, use career services, look for mentorship programs, and reach out respectfully.
A short message that shows genuine interest beats a long message that asks for a job on line one.

Real Maverick Experiences (Extra): What It’s Like to Be Connected to Famous UTA Alumni

Here’s the part people don’t always say out loud: famous alumni aren’t just trivia. They’re a living map of what’s possibleespecially when you’re
sitting in class wondering if your degree will actually translate to a real life with real bills and maybe even real confidence.

Students and graduates often describe a few “Maverick moments” that show up again and again:

1) The “Wait… they went here?” moment

You’ll hear a namean astronaut, a governor, a recognizable actorand realize UTA wasn’t just a stop on their journey. It was part of the training.
That realization can be surprisingly motivating. Not because it guarantees the same outcome, but because it lowers the psychological distance between
“regular student” and “big career.”

2) Alumni pride that feels practical, not performative

Some schools do alumni pride like it’s a costume you wear once a year. UTA pride often shows up as usefulness: a graduate replies to your message,
an alum shares internship advice, someone points you to a hiring manager, or a professor connects you with a former student working in your field.
It’s less “rah-rah” and more “here’s a doortry this handle.”

3) Networking that doesn’t require you to become a different person

Many UTA students balance school with work, family responsibilities, or both. The culture tends to respect directness.
When alumni help, it’s often grounded in specifics: how to structure a resume, what interviews in a certain industry feel like,
which certifications matter, or how to position a project so it sounds like something an employer would actually pay for.

4) The DFW advantage: your classroom has a huge “extended campus”

One of the most common experiences connected to UTA alumni success is proximity. Dallas–Fort Worth is packed with companies, agencies, hospitals,
studios, and startups. That means career-building doesn’t have to be postponed until graduation. Students often build momentum through internships,
part-time roles, capstone projects with real stakeholders, or student organizations that connect to employers.

5) The “skill stack” mindset becomes a habit

When you see alumni succeed across very different fieldsspace science, economics, broadcasting, architectureyou start to notice what they share:
they combine skills. A communicator learns data. An engineer learns leadership. A creative learns business. A business major learns how to manage
systems and people. Over time, that encourages students to stop thinking in single labels (“I’m only X”) and start thinking like builders
(“I can add Y and Z to my toolkit”).

6) Giving back stops being abstract

Famous alumni stories often include an element of return: speaking on campus, supporting scholarships, mentoring, or showing up at alumni events.
For students, seeing that loop can shift the definition of success. It’s not only “make it.” It’s “make itand pull someone else forward.”
That’s the kind of culture that compounds over decades.

In the end, the best “experience” tied to famous UTA alumni is this: you start to view your education less like a finish line and more like a
foundation. The famous names are inspiring, sure. But the real gift is the pattern they revealUTA can be a starting point for almost any kind of
ambitious story, as long as you’re willing to do the work that makes ambition believable.

Conclusion

The University of Texas at Arlington has produced alumni who’ve left marks on space exploration, state leadership, business, media, and the arts.
Some are household names. Others are “industry famous”the kind of famous that pays in influence rather than autographs.
Either way, the message is consistent: UTA alumni tend to build real skills, take real opportunities, and keep moving when the path isn’t perfectly
straight. That’s the Maverick spirit in action.