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24 notable alumni

Notable Alumni of Hollins University

Notable alumni of Hollins University include Annie Dillard (Author known for narrative prose), Mary K. Gaillard (Theoretical particle physicist at UC Berkeley) and Natasha Trethewey (US Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet).

College data and admissions

Alumni list

Politics and law

  • Heather Fitzenhagen 1960–

    Former Florida state representative

  • Jennifer Boysko 1966–

    Member of the Virginia Senate

  • Betsy B. Carr 1946–

    Member of the Virginia House of Delegates

  • Pamela J. H. Slutz 1949–

    Diplomat, ambassador to Burundi and Mongolia

Business

  • Lyda Hill 1942–

    Investor and philanthropist of the Hunt family

    Mother: Margaret Hunt Hill (Mary Baldwin University)

Science and academia

  • Mary K. Gaillard 1939–2025

    Theoretical particle physicist at UC Berkeley

    Bachelor of Science · Class of 1960

    Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

  • Garrett Epps 1950–

    Legal scholar and novelist

    Master of Arts

    Also attended: Harvard University, Duke University

  • Mary Wells Ashworth 1903–1992

    Historian who helped write Freeman's George Washington biography

Arts and media

  • Annie Dillard 1945–2026

    Author known for narrative prose

    Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts · English literature · Class of 1968

    Spouse: Robert D. Richardson (Harvard University)

  • Natasha Trethewey 1966–

    US Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

    Master of Arts · English studies, Creative writing · Class of 1991

    Also attended: University of Georgia, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

  • Dorothy Dix 1861–1951

    Columnist and forerunner of advice columnists

  • Mary Curtis Verna 1921–2009

    Operatic soprano associated with Italian repertory

  • Lisa Emery 1952–

    Stage, film and television actress

    Also attended: Circle in the Square Theatre School

  • Madison Smartt Bell 1957–

    Novelist, known for Haitian Revolution trilogy

    Also attended: Princeton University

  • Adam Ross 1967–

    Writer, author of the novel Mr. Peanut

    Also attended: University of Washington-Seattle Campus

  • Henry S. Taylor 1942–2024

    Poet, 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner

    Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus

  • Ann Compton 1947–

    Retired ABC News Radio White House correspondent

  • Ethel Morgan Smith 1952–

    American author and associate professor

  • Richard McCann 1949–2021

    Writer and American University creative writing professor

    Also attended: University of Iowa

  • Katy Pyle

    Ballet dancer, choreographer and founder of Ballez

    Also attended: University of North Carolina School of the Arts

  • Lee Smith 1944–

    Fiction writer and O. Henry Award recipient

    Bachelor of Arts

  • Ellen Goldsmith-Vein 1963–

    Film producer, founder of the Gotham Group

  • Helen Pickett 1901–

    Ballet choreographer

    Master of Fine Arts · Dance · Class of 2011

Other fields

  • Lottie Moon 1840–1912

    American Southern Baptist missionary to China

From Wikidata “educated at” records (including people who attended without graduating), ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions. Degrees and years follow Wikidata and are left out where it has none.