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Gallery of Trailblazers

Meet some University of Maryland Trailblazers

The people in this gallery are past and present leaders, advocates, activists and achievers from a range of fields and with a range of accomplishments. Learn more about how people apply their University of Maryland educational experience to enact real world change.

elderly latina woman with very dark here captured in mid-sentence and holding a book
image from https://sllc.umd.edu/news/remembering-professor-emerita-graciela-palau-de-nemes

Dr. Graciela Palau de Nemes (M.A. '49, Ph.D. '52)

was a professor at the University of Maryland for over 35 years. She shaped the field of Latin American and Spanish literary studies and coordinated the candidacy of Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez for his 1956 Nobel Prize for Literature. 

Learn more about de Nemes

smiling light-skinned brown woman with curly black hair above the shoulder
image from https://oneill.indiana.edu/faculty-research/directory/profiles/faculty/full-time/simon-kosali.html

Dr. Kosali Simon (Ph.D. '99)

is a health economist and leading authority on health insurance and healthcare policy analysis who has been regarded as the “broadest economist alive”. Her work was referenced in the development of the Affordable Care Act, and she has provided some of the greatest research insights into its implementation and impact. In 2021 she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.  

Learn more about Simon

Jeanette Epps in pilot's helmet
image from https://eng.umd.edu/news/story/celebrating-black-engineers-jeanette-epps

Dr. Jeanette Epps (M.S. '94, Ph.D. '00)

recently returned from life on the International Space Station (ISS) and is the second Black woman to do so. Epps has persevered through an extended delay in her spaceflight opportunity and finally took off for a 6-month rotation on the ISS as part of SpaceX Crew-8 on March 3, 2024.

Learn more about Epps 

Smiling black woman with shoulder length hair
Image from https://www.alsobrooks.senate.gov/about/

Hon. Angela Alsobrooks (J.D. '96)

serves as a current U.S. senator representing the state of Maryland and a lifelong public servant dedicated to uplifting working families. Earlier in her career she was the first Black woman to serve as County Executive in Prince George's County and the youngest and first woman to be elected Prince George's County State's Attorney. serves as a current U.S. senator representing the state of Maryland and a lifelong public servant dedicated to uplifting working families. Earlier in her career she was the first Black woman to serve as County Executive in Prince George's County and the youngest and first woman to be elected Prince George's County State's Attorney. 

Learn more about Alsobrooks

smiling white woman with glasses and short blond/gray/white hair
Image from https://sps.cuny.edu/about/directory/beth.haller-phd

Dr. Beth A. Haller (M.A. '91)

has dedicated her career to the intersection of disability and media. As co-founder and co-director of the Global Alliance for Disability in Media and Entertainment (GADIM), Haller strives to increase the visibility and inclusive portrayal of people with disabilities in the media. 

Learn more about Haller

smiling asian woman with shoulder length black hair
Image from https://www.memphis.edu/sociology/people/faculty_and_staff/sunah_laybourn.php

Dr. SunAh M. Laybourn (Ph.D. '18)

is a sociology professor and Korean adoptee who studies the intersections of race, identity and belonging, especially for Asian Americans. She was a previous co-lead facilitator for the National Civil Rights Museum’s Unpacking Racism for Action program. In 2023 Laybourn launched the first ever Memphis Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

Learn more about Laybourn

Smiling woman with green spiky short hair and a visible upper arm tattoo
Image from https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2024/11/nine-global-bar-luminaries/

Amie Ward (B.A. '05, M.A. '08)

is known nationally as "The Healthtender", the name of an organization she founded in 2015 to promote health, equity, and safety in the hospitality industry. She now serves as the executive director of Safe Bars, a nonprofit that trains alcohol-serving staff to intervene in dangerous or discriminatory situations. 

Learn more about Ward

black woman with a medium-sized afro looks off to the side
Image from https://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/physics/williams_barbaraa.html

Dr. Barbara Ann Williams (Ph.D. '81)

was the first Black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in astronomy, earning the terminal degree here in 1981. Williams’ work in radio astronomy helped deepen the scientific community’s understand of galactic structures and their evolution over time. 

Learn more about Williams

Smiling black man with close cropped hair and beard
Image from https://gosita.com/webinar-recording-reset-identify-develop-sustain-high-performing-people-for-your-social-enterprise/

Cedric Nwafor (B.A. '18)

is a social entrepreneur and the founder of ROOTS Africa, a student-led organization that combats hunger, poverty and exclusion by connecting students and agricultural experts in the U.S. and Africa. 

Learn more about Nwafor

Riley Roshong Headshot
image from https://www.linkedin.com/in/rileygraceroshong/

Riley Grace Roshong, Esq (JD/MPP '23)

is Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, and she is changing the way politics engages with young voters by taking activism, campaigning and policy analysis to social media. She was central in passing the Trans Health Equity Act in Maryland in 2023. 
 

Learn more about Roshong

Vashti McKenzie headshot
image from https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=202907991847186&set=a.202906025180716

Reverend Vashti McKenzie (B.A. '78)

is a preacher, journalist, author and activist blazing the trail for women of faith as the first woman leader of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
 

Learn more about McKenzie

black and white image of Liz Lerman with two dancers standing behind her, facing away from the camera with arms raised
image from https://today.umd.edu/saving-and-sharing-dance-legacy

Liz Lerman (B.A. '70)

is a pioneer in dance, choreography, and education whose work is grounded in the belief that dance is truly for everybody, constantly considering accessibility and inclusion. She developed the world-renowned Critical Response Process (CRP).
 

Learn more about Lerman

Chloe Schwenke headshot
image from https://www.washingtonblade.com/ 2018/05/04/chloe-schwenke-memoir/

Dr. Chloe Schwenke (Ph.D. '02)

is a human rights scholar and activist, researcher, author and educator. She led the development of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender Based Violence Globally.

Learn more about Schwenke

Gayle King, black woman, rubbing Testudo's name in front of the McKeldin library
image from https://today.umd.edu/a-commencement-speech-fit-for-a-king

Gayle King (B.A. '76)

is one of the best broadcast interviewers of all time, a co-anchor of CBS This Morning and editor-at-large for O: The Oprah Magazine. King was in the Times 100 Most Influential People in 2019. 
 

Learn more about King

black and white photo of Evelyn Pasteur Valentine
image from https://www.currentobituary.com/obit/111272

Dr. Evelyn Pasteur Valentine (M.A. '67, Ph.D. '86)

was a giant in the Baltimore city public education system from 1962-1990, receiving the Maryland’s Teacher of the Year award and the University of Maryland College Park Alumni Association’s Ralph J. Tyser Medallion.

Learn More about Valentine

Aryan Rodriguez Bocquet headshot
image from https://health.hawaii.gov/ola/ files/2016/08/1st-Conference-Booklet.pdf

Aryan Rodriguez Bocquet (B.A. '00)

was appointed the first director of language access for the Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights at the age of 26 and now serves as Senior Managing Director for the educational advocacy group the Flamboyan Foundation.

Learn More about Bocquet

Maria Otero Headshot
image from https://kresge.org/person/maria-otero/

Maria Otero (M.A. '74)

is a world leader in the world of global microfinance and financial inclusion. A Bolivian immigrant, Otero is the first Latina Under Secretary of U.S.

Learn More about Otero

Dominique Dawes Headshot
image from https://today.umd.edu/former-olympic-gymnast-takes-next-leap

Dominique Dawes (B.A. '02)

was the first African American to make the national gymnastics team, the first African American to win an individual Olympic medal in women’s gymnastics, and a member of the first U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team in history to win gold.

Learn More about Dawes

Smiling light-skinned black woman with an afro hairstyle, holding a cane
image from https://nsbp.org/news/569403/Dr.-Aziza-Baccouche.htm

Dr. Zohra Aziza Baccouche (Ph.D. '02)

was the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics in the state of Maryland and the first blind on-air correspondent for both CNN and PBS.

Learn More about Baccouche

Bernice Sandler headshot
image from https://www.womenofthehall.org/ inductee/bernice-resnick-sandler/

Dr. Bernice Resnick Sandler (Ed.D. '69)

is known as the “Godmother of Title IX” for her lifetime of work on equity for women in education.

Learn More about Sandler

Aisha Braveboy headshot
image from https://thedailyrecord.com/ 2021/12/29/aisha-braveboy-2/

Honorable Aisha N. Braveboy (B.A. '97)

is the current State's Attorney for Prince George's County, MD and a staunch advocate for policies that improve equity and dignity for marginalized people in her community.

Learn more about Braveboy

Marilee Lindemann headshot
image from https://scholars.umd.edu/directory/marilee-lindemann

Dr. Marilee Lindemann (faculty/staff '92-present)

was the inaugural director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Program (2002-2013), pushing for the importance of queer studies and bringing awareness to the LGBTQ+ community.

Learn more about Lindemann
 

Aracely Quispe in doctoral regalia
image from https://www.linkedin.com/in/aracelyquispeneira/

Dr. Irma Aracely Quispe Neira (M.S. '21)

went from growing up in a Peruvian town with no electricity to becoming the first Latin American to command three successful NASA missions.

Learn more about Quispe
 

Elissa Washuta headshot
image from https://washuta.net/everything.html

Elissa Washuta (B.A. '07)

is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and an award-winning nonfiction author some regard as one of the best living essayists today. Her deeply personal work explores her experiences with mental health challenges, sexual violence, her native identity, and more.

Learn More about Washuta
 

Shige Sakurai headshot
image from https://www.uua.org/people/shige-sakurai

Shige Sakurai (faculty/staff '10-'22)

blazes trails for non-binary people. They received the first ever X gender marker on their driver’s license in 2017, authored the website MyPronouns.org and founded International Pronouns Day.

Learn more about Sakurai
 

Yousef Munayyer headshot
image from https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousef-munayyer-94abb82a/

Dr. Yousef Munayyer (M.A. ‘08, Ph.D. ‘15)

is a Palestinian-American writer and political analyst who has made and continues to make significant contributions to the discourse on Palestine, Israel, and the broader Middle East.

Learn more about Munayyer

Chao Wu headshot
image from https://eng.umd.edu/news/story/alum-chao-wu-elected-to-maryland-house-of-delegates

Dr. Chao Wu (Ph.D. '09)

is a senior data scientist, an engineer, and a Chinese-American immigrant who has dedicated his life to public service and improving his local community. He currently serves as a Maryland State Delegate for District 9A.

Learn more about Wu

Galo President painted portrait
Image from https://hablemosdeculturas.com/galo-plaza-lasso/

President Galo Plaza Lasso (B.A. '29)

worked tirelessly toward peace in Latin America and around the world, as well as the education and technological modernization of Ecuador. Plaza is regarded as one of the best political leaders in Ecuadorian history.

Learn more about Plaza

Ashley Minner Headshot
image from https://www.mica.edu/graduate-programs/community-arts-mfa/ashley-minner/

Dr. Ashley Minner (Ph.D. '20)

uses art and storytelling to share the stories of indigenous peoples in the United States. She works alongside tribal elders to map, reconstruct and archive the rich but invisible history of the Lumbee Indian Community in East Baltimore, MD.
 

Learn more about Minner

Aaron Kaufman smiles in a Maryland flag tie
image from https://www.mymcmedia.org/kaufman-selected-to-run-for-democratic-ticket-for-delegate-in-district-18/

Aaron Kaufman (B.A. '11)

is the first member of the Maryland General Assembly with a physical disability and a constant advocate for people with disabilities, as well as for equity issues in healthcare, education, and other areas. Kaufman was named Rookie Delegate of the Session in 2023.

Learn more about Kaufman

D'Arcee Charington Neal headshot
image from https://www.advocate.com/40-under-40/2015/12/21/disabled-have-right-life-love-and-hookups-says-darcee-charington-neal

Dr. D'Arcee Charington Neal (M.A. '19)

is an “award-winning queer disability activist, theorist, and consultant,” using storytelling to advocate for all marginalized communities’ rights, especially at the intersections of race, sexuality and ability.

Learn more about Neal

Josh Schneider dressed in hockey uniform
image from https://www.thedentedpuck.com/about

Josh Schneider (B.A. '04)

is a national advocate for blind hockey, #17 on the USA Blind Hockey Team, and the Chief Operating Officer of The Dented Puck, a grassroots organization striving to expand blind hockey across the world.
 

Learn more about Schneider

Renaldo Nehemiah wearing a US olympic team patch with a flag over one shoulder, looking down
image from https://today.umd.edu/olympian-nowhere-go

Renaldo "Skeets" Nehemiah (B.A. '81)

set world records for multiple distances of hurdles, despite missing out on an Olympic run due to a U.S. boycott of the Games during the Cold War. He is also a Super Bowl Championship winner with the San Francisco 49ers (1982-1985).

Learn more about Nehemiah

Luke Jensen Headshot
image from https://today.umd.edu/pioneer-lgbtq-rights-umd-changed-policies-lives-5138095e-2919-499c-91ed-56341c955933

Dr. Luke Jensen (faculty/staff '94-'21)

started as associate director of a music research center, and then founded the President’s Commission on LGBT Issues and what is now the LGBTQ+ Equity Center.

Learn more about Jensen
 

Manning Marable headshot
image from https://today.umd.edu/five-black-pioneers-you-should-know-about

Dr. Manning Marable (Ph.D. '76)

was a renowned political science and history scholar who bridged scholarship and activism. Marable's most famous books are How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America (1983) and his revisionist biography Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (2011).

Learn more about  Marable

Jack Minker Headshot
image from https://www.cs.umd.edu/article/2017/07/happy-90th-birthday-founding-chair-jack-minker

Dr. Jack Minker (faculty '67-'21)

founded the UMD Department of Computer Science and was committed to shedding light on the human rights violations against scientists around the world.

Learn more about Minker

M Pease Headshot
image from https://psyc.umd.edu/gradprofile/pease/m

M Pease (B.S '22, M.S. '24)

is a social justice advocate whose work seeks to bridge science with advocacy and activism efforts that tangibly improve conditions for marginalized communities in the pursuit of social justice, equity, decolonization, and liberation.

Learn more about Pease

Oula Alrifai headshot
image from https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/ experts/oula-alrifai

Oula Alrifai (B.A. '11)

focuses on peace and development in the Middle East, with a special emphasis on Syria. As a current AVP for the National Immigration Forum, Alrifai works with national security and law enforcement leaders to prioritize immigration reform.

Learn More about Alrifai

Aya Soffer Headshot
image from https://www.cs.umd.edu/article/ 2021/06/ harnessing-power-ai-one-project-time

Dr. Aya Soffer (M.S. '92, Ph.D. '95)

has been one of the world’s leading experts on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for 30 years. She is now responsible for the global AI research strategy for IBM, as well as their research lab in Haifa, Israel. 
 

Learn more about Soffer

Jeong Kim Headshot
image from https://www.nti.org/about/people/jeong-kim/

Dr. Jeong H. Kim (Ph.D. '91)

began as a South Korean immigrant with few resources and worked his way up to become a tech industry giant with the first Asian-named building on campus and a place on the Forbes list of richest Americans.

Learn more about Kim

Neela Vaswani headshot
image from https://www.skidmore.edu/ ctw/profile.php?profile_id=1019

Dr. Neela Vaswani (Ph.D. '06)

is an award-winning author and Grammy-winning audiobook narrator, and an education activist in the U.S. and India who utilizes the power of storytelling to promote literacy, activism and connection.

Learn more about Vaswani

Florent Groberg headshot in uniform
image from https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/ florent-a-groberg

Captain Florent Groberg (B.A. '06, M.S. '17)

has dedicated himself to the cause of military veteran mental health after being injured in combat in 2012. In 2015 Groberg was the first foreign-born Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War.

Learn more about Groberg

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light-skinned black man with a slight smile and close-cropped hair, moustache and goatee
Image from https://boondockstv.fandom.com/wiki/Aaron_McGruder

Aaron McGruder (B.A. '98)

is an influential cartoonist, writer and socio-political satirist, best known for creating the controversial and groundbreaking comic strip and animated series The Boondocks

 

Learn more about McGruder

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Gallery of Trailblazers Full Biographies