List of New Trier High School alumni

This is a list of notable alumni from New Trier High School, a four-year high school in Winnetka, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, including alumni from the former New Trier East and New Trier West high schools:

This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2007)

Business

Bobbi Brown, make-up artist, entrepreneur, author, and founder of a line of cosmetics^[1]
Douglas Conant, former chairman of Avon Products;^[2]^[3] former President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company
Chris Cox (2000), Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Facebook^[4]
John Donahoe (1978), president and CEO of Nike (2020–2024), president and CEO of eBay (2008–2015), chairman of PayPal (2015–present),^[5] CEO of ServiceNow (2017–2019)
Christie Hefner (1970), former CEO of Playboy Enterprises^[3]^[6]^[7]^[8]
Charles F. Knight (1953), chairman emeritus of Emerson Electric Co.^[9]
James McNerney (1967), president of GE Lighting (1995–97), president of GE Aircraft Engines (1997–2000), president and CEO of 3M (2000–05), CEO of Boeing (2005–15)^[10]

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Film, television, and theater

Ann-Margret (1959), actress and entertainer^[3]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]
Adam Baldwin (1980), actor^[15]^[16]
Steve Barancik (1979), screenwriter
Ralph Bellamy (1922), actor^[3]^[17]
Beck Bennett (2003), Saturday Night Live cast member
Carlos Bernard (1980), actor^[18]
Mark Boone Junior (1973), actor
Stephen Brooks, actor ^[19]
John Byrum (1965), film producer, director and screenwriter^[14]
Liz Callaway (1978), musical theatre actress^[14]^[20]
William Christopher, actor^[14]^[21]
Lisa Darr (1981), actress^{[citation needed]}
Bruce Dern (1954), actor^[13]
Christine Ebersole (1971), actress and singer^[22]^[23]
James Eckhouse, actor^[14]
Neal Edelstein (1987), film director and producer^[24]^[25]^[26]^[27]
Dede Gardner (1986), film producer
Charlton Heston (1941), actor and political activist^[3]^[13]^[14]^[28]^[29]
Rock Hudson (1943), actor^[3]^[13]^[14]^[30]
Scott Jaeck (1973), actor
Jake Johnson (1996), actor, comedian, screenwriter^[31]
Mike Kelley (1985), television writer and producer^[32]
Virginia Madsen (1979), actress^[13]^[16]
Lauren Marcus (attended; transferred to another school), actress^[33]
Liesel Matthews (2002), actress and heiress and member of the Pritzker family^[14]^[34]
Kim Milford (1968), actor
Penelope Milford (1966), actress^[35]
John R. Montgomery (1975), television producer
Hugh O'Brian (did not graduate), actor^[16]
David O'Brien (actor) (1953)
Jeffrey Price, member of screenwriting team with Peter S. Seaman^[14]
Maeve Quinlan (1982), actress, producer
Kevin Quinn (2015), actor and singer-songwriter
Betsy Randle (1968), actress^[36]
Mark Romanek (1977), music video and film director, writer, and producer^[37]
Charlotte Ross, (1986) actress^[38]
Tom Rubnitz, video artist
Mary Kate Schellhardt (1997), actress^[14]
Rusty Schwimmer (1980), actress^[16]
Jesse Solomon (2011), Reality TV, Podcaster, TV personality
Michael Shannon, actor
Les Shapiro, NBC, CBS, ESPN sportsw journalist, Denver
Hal Sparks (1988), actor and comedian^[16]
David Strassman (West), performer and ventriloquist^{[citation needed]}
Lili Taylor (1985), actress^[14]
Nico Tortorella (2006), actor
Paul Thomas (director) (born Phil Toubus) (1967), actor, director^[39]
Jim True-Frost (aka Jim True) (1984), actor^[14]
Rainn Wilson (1984), actor^[40]^[41]
Terence H. Winkless, film and TV producer, director and writer
Edward Zwick (1970), film and television director and producer^[14]
Lauren Hoagland (2019), podcast producer and social media influencer

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Journalism and letters

Elizabeth Brackett (1959), television news correspondent^[42]
Shams Charania (2012), NBA reporter, previously for Yahoo Sports The Vertical, since for The Athletic and Stadium^[43]^[44]
Ann Compton (1965), television news reporter and correspondent^[42]^[45]
Chet Coppock (1966), radio sportscaster^[42]
Brian D'Amato (1976), novelist and sculptor^[46]
Alan Goldsher (1984), novelist and ghostwriter^[47]
Walter Jacobson (1955), local television news personality^[3]^[42]
Geoffrey A. Landis (1973), engineer and Hugo and Nebula Award-winning science fiction author^{[citation needed]}
Edward Lifson (1974) award-winning journalist, for National Public Radio and other outlets, and architecture writer
John Lippman, television executive and the acting director of Voice of America
Archibald MacLeish (did not graduate), writer and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner^[48]
Nell Minow (1970), film critic and author in the field of corporate governance^[48]
Stephen Moore (1978), economics writer, journalist and commentator
Henry H. Neff (1991), author and illustrator^[49]
Juliet Law Packer (1970), television writer^{[citation needed]}
Chris Plante, television reporter, host of eponymous radio show^[50]
Dan Ponce (1995) WGN-TV/News/Anchor; Founder, "Straight No Chaser" a cappella music group.^[51]
Ian Punnett (1978), radio personality and writer^{[citation needed]}
Sarah Ruhl (1992), playwright^[52]^[53]^[54]^[55]
Thomas A. Stewart (1966), business journalist and editor
John Stossel (1965), author, commentator and investigative journalist^[3]^[42]
Penelope Trunk (1985), author, blogger, and entrepreneur
Scott Turow (1966), lawyer and novelist^[56]^[48]
Donovan Webster (1977), journalist, author, editor, and filmmaker

Law

Richard Clifton (1968), Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit^[57]
Martha Minow (1972), former Dean of Harvard Law School
Dean A. Pinkert (1974), trade lawyer; former member of the United States International Trade Commission

Music

David Charles Abell (1976), conductor^[14]
Mike Bloomfield (did not graduate), rock and blues guitarist^[58]^[59]
Jaimie Branch (2001), jazz trumpeter
Andy Brick (1983), composer and conductor^[60]
Ann Hampton Callaway (1976), singer and songwriter^[14]^[20]^[61]
Marshall Chess, music executive and producer^[59]
Kristine Flaherty (2003), rapper^[62]
Katie Gavin (2011), lead singer of the band, MUNA^[63]
Jeff Harnar (1977), cabaret singer^[61]^[64]
Erwin Helfer (1954), boogie woogie and jazz innovator, performer, and educator
Al Jourgensen (attended), musician^{[citation needed]}
Kate Liu (2012), pianist, 3rd prize winner of XVII International Chopin Piano Competition
Louis The Child, musical duo composed of Robert Hauldren (2015) and Frederic Kennett (2016)^[65]
Gary Novak, (1987) session drummer^[66]
Sean O’Keefe (1998), record producer, mixer and engineer
Liz Phair (1985), singer-songwriter^[3]^[14]
Matthew Polenzani (1986), lyric tenor opera singer
Dave Samuels (1966), jazz vibraphonist who played with Spyro Gyra and the Caribbean Jazz Project^[14]^[67]^[68]
John Baker Saunders (1973), founding member and bassist for the grunge rock supergroup Mad Season^[69]
William Susman (1978), composer of concert and film music^[70]
Joe Trohman (2002), guitarist for the bands The Damned Things and Fall Out Boy^[71]^[72]
Peter Van de Graaff (1979), musician, bass baritone and classical radio host on WFMT^[73]
Matt Walker (1987), rock musician and former drummer for The Smashing Pumpkins^[74]
Linda Waterfall, folk musician and singer-songwriter^[75]
Aaron Weinstein (2003), jazz violinist^[76]^[77]
Pete Wentz (attended), bassist for the bands Black Cards and Fall Out Boy^[71]^[72]
The Ying Quartet, string quartet started by four siblings who are all alumni: David (1981), Tim (1983), Phillip (1986), and Janet (1988)^[14]
Petey USA an American musician and social media personality who rose to prominence on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Politics and government

Judy Biggert (1955), U.S. Representative^[78]^[79]
Bob Dold (1987), U.S. Representative
Rahm Emanuel (West, 1977), U.S. Representative, White House Chief of Staff and Mayor of Chicago, United States Ambassador to Japan
David H. Hoffman (1984), federal prosecutor and Chicago's inspector general^{[citation needed]}
Fred Karger (1968), political consultant and Republican gay rights advocate
Mark Kirk (1977) U.S. Representative and Senator^[3]^[80]
Thomas Miller (1966), U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (1999–2001) and Greece (2001–04)^[81]
Charles H. Percy (1937), U.S. Senator^[81]^[56]
Michael S. Rogers (1977), U.S. Navy four-star admiral and former director of the National Security Agency
Carol Ronen (1962), Illinois State Representative and State Senator^[82]
Donald Rumsfeld (1950), U.S. Representative, White House Chief of Staff and U.S. Secretary of Defense^[3]^[81]^[56]
Jack Ryan, former candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois^[83]
James D. Swan, Wisconsin State Senator^[84]
Richard S. Williamson (1967), U.S. Ambassador and diplomat^[85]
Edgard D. Kagan (1985), U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia
Alaina Teplitz (1987), U.S. Ambassador to Nepal (2015-2018), U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka (2018-2021)

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Science and technology

Bruce Alberts (1956), biochemist, president of the National Academy of Sciences and editor in chief of the journal Science^[86]
Lise Eliot (1980), professor of neuroscience and author
Ellen Fetter (1957), computer scientist^[87]
Todd Golub (1981), cancer researcher, director of the cancer program at the Broad Institute^[85]
Mary-Claire King (1963), geneticist^[88]
Geoffrey A. Landis, aerospace engineer and author^[89]
Michael Peskin (West, 1969), physicist^{[citation needed]}
Martin Rocek (1971), physicist^{[citation needed]}
Rafael Sorkin (valedictorian 1963), physicist^[90]^[91]
Jack Steinberger (1938), co-recipient of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics (he donated his Nobel medal to the New Trier science department)^[92]^[93]^[94]
Kenneth S. Suslick (1970), chemist^[95]
Clifford Tabin (1972), geneticist, chairman of the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society

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Sports

Trish Andrew (1989), basketball player for Michigan
Ross Baumgarten (1973), baseball pitcher^[16]^[96]^[97]
Ben Braun (1971), men's collegiate basketball coach, University of California (1996–2008), Rice (2008–14)^[98]^[99]
Pete Burnside (1948), baseball pitcher^[3]^[16]^[100]
John Castino (1973), baseball infielder^[101]^[102]
Al Culver, NFL offensive tackle^[3]
Rick Hahn (1989), MLB general manager of the Chicago White Sox (2012-23)
Mike Huff (1981), baseball outfielder^[16]^[103]
Dave Jauss, baseball coach and scout
Robert Jeangerard, basketball player, 1956 Olympics gold medalist^[3]
Matt Kaskey (2015), offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers
Chuck Lindstrom, baseball catcher and coach^[3]
Matt Lottich (2000), basketball player for Stanford
Clay Matthews (1974), NFL linebacker (1978–93)^[3]^[102]
Chuck Mercein (1961), NFL running back^[3]^[102]^[104]
Phoebe Mills, athlete, gymnastics bronze medalist in 1988 Summer Olympics^[105]
John Moore (2009), NHL player^[102]
Mike Pyle (1957), NFL center^[3]
Jack Riley (1933), Olympic wrestler and NFL offensive tackle^[3]
Fred Schmidt, swimmer^[3]
Charlie Tilson (2011), MLB outfielder for Chicago White Sox
Emma Vlasic (2015), ice hockey forward
Alex Vlasic (did not graduate), Chicago Blackhawks defenseman
Tommy Wingels (2006), NHL player^[106]

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Visual arts

Ivan Albright, painter associated with magic realism^[14]^[107]
Stieg Hedlund (1983), game development leader, designer, artist, and writer^[108]^[109]
Dewitt Jones, photographer and film producer known for his association with the National Geographic Society^[14]
Nancy Spero (1944), feminist artist^[110]^[111]
Paul O. Zelinsky (1970), children's picture book illustrator and writer
Ryan Zoghlin (1985), artist and photographer^{[citation needed]}

Others

Liz Crokin (1997), columnist and conspiracy theorist
Laurie Dann (1975), perpetrator of a school shooting in Winnetka^[112]^[113]
Ari Emanuel, talent agent and founder of the Endeavor Agency^[114]
Anna Halprin (Ann Schuman) (1938), modern dancer^[115]
Sharon Percy Rockefeller, former First Lady of West Virginia and the chief executive officer of WETA-TV^[42]
Benjamin Nathaniel Smith, white supremacist spree killer^[116]^[117]
Larry Sweeney (1999), real name Alex Whybrow, professional wrestler and manager
Charlie Trotter (1977), chef, restaurateur and author^[56]
Brad Will (1988), anarchist, activist, and documentary filmmaker who was killed in Mexico^[118]