This is a list of notable people associated with Carleton University, such as faculty members and alumni.

Lineage and establishment

Chancellors

thumb|180px|[[Marc Garneau]]

thumb|180px|[[Lester B. Pearson, Chancellor, Prime Minister, Nobel Laureate]]

  • 1952–1954 Harry Stevenson Southam
  • 1954–1968 Jack Mackenzie
  • 1969–1972 Lester B. Pearson
  • 1973–1980 Gerhard Herzberg
  • 1980–1990 Robert Gordon Robertson (Emeritus 1992–2013)
  • 1990–1992 Pauline Jewett
  • 1993–2002 Arthur Kroeger (Emeritus 2002–2008)
  • 2002 Ray Hnatyshyn
  • 2003–2008 Marc Garneau
  • 2008–2011 Herb Gray
  • 2011–2017 Charles Chi
  • 2018–2025 Yaprak Baltacioğlu
  • 2025–present Nik Nanos

Presidents

  • 1942–1947 Henry Marshall Tory
  • 1947–1955 Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum
  • 1955–1956 James Alexander Gibson (pro tempore)
  • 1956–1958 Claude Bissell
  • 1958–1972 Davidson Dunton
  • 1972–1978 Michael Kelway Oliver
  • 1979 James Downey (pro tempore) 1 January – 15 May
  • 1979–1989 William Edwin Beckel
  • 1989–1996 Robin Hugh Farquhar
  • 1996–2005 Richard J. Van Loon
  • 2005–2006 David W. Atkinson
  • 2006–2008 Samy Mahmoud (pro tempore), from 20 November 2006
  • 2008–2017 Roseann Runte
  • 2017–2018 Alastair Summerlee (interim)
  • 2018–2023 Benoit-Antoine Bacon
  • 2023–2024 Jerry Tomberlin (interim)
  • 2025–present Wisdom Tettey

Chairs of the Board of Governors

thumb|180px|[[Henry Marshall Tory]]

  • 1942–1949 Philip D. Ross, Honorary Chairman
  • 1942–1947 Henry Marshall Tory
  • 1947–1952 Harry Stevenson Southam
  • 1952–1960 J.E. Coyne
  • 1960–1962 E.W. Richard Steacie
  • 1962–1965 C.C. Gibson
  • 1965–1972 David A. Golden
  • 1972–1974 James Lorne Gray
  • 1974–1976 Russ J. Neill
  • 1976–1978 Hyman Soloway
  • 1978–1980 George A. Fierheller
  • 1980–1982 Denis A. Ross
  • 1982–1984 Clifford Thomas Kelley
  • 1984–1985 Jean Teron
  • 1985–1987 Claude Edwards
  • 1987–1989 Ross Cruikshank
  • 1990–1992 Donald Yeomans
  • 1992–1993 Sam Hughes
  • 1993–1995 Maureen O'Neil
  • 1995–1997 Ivan Fellegi
  • 1997–2000 Robert Laughton
  • 2000–2002 Allen Lumsden
  • 2002–2005 Jocelyn Ghent Mallett
  • 2005–2006 Margaret Bloodworth
  • 2006–2008 David M. Dunn
  • 2008–2010 Jacques Shore
  • 2010–2012 Gisele Samson-Verreault
  • 2012–2014 Ronald Jackson
  • 2014–2016 Anthony (Tony) Tattersfield
  • 2016–2018 Christopher Carruthers
  • 2018–2020 Nik Nanos
  • 2020–2022 Dan Fortin
  • 2022–2024 Greg Farrell
  • 2024–present Beth Creary

Notable alumni and faculty

Academics

thumb|180px|[[Peter Grünberg]]

  • Emma Anderson, professor at University of Ottawa
  • Aslam Anis, professor of health economics at the UBC Faculty of Medicine
  • Andrew Brook, Chancellor's Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science
  • Madhu Dikshit, cardiovascular biologist and N-Bios laureate
  • Ivan Fellegi, former Chief Statistician of Canada
  • Peter Grünberg, Nobel laureate in Physics 2007
  • Erin Johnson, professor of theoretical chemistry at Dalhousie University
  • Lawrence M. Krauss, physics professor at Arizona State University and popular science author
  • Michael I. Krauss, professor at George Mason University School of Law
  • Randal Marlin, Carleton philosophy professor specializing in the study of propaganda
  • Robin Neill, economic historian
  • Ryan North, writer and computer scientist
  • Norm O'Reilly, professor at University of Guelph
  • John Porter, former professor of sociology
  • Edwin G. Pulleyblank, professor at the University of British Columbia
  • Kenneth B. Storey, current professor of biology
  • William Sweet, professor of philosophy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Entertainers

thumb|180px|[[Melody Anderson]]

  • Emily Yeung, host of This is Emily Yeung
  • Melody Anderson, retired actress, social worker
  • Jeremy Gara, band drummer of Arcade Fire
  • Elizabeth Hanna, undergraduate major in philosophy and later graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada; voice actor and speech-language pathologist
  • Hamza Haq, actor
  • Mervyn G.H. Hinds, Chicago blues musician, known as Harmonica Hinds
  • jev., rapper
  • K-OS (Kheaven Brereton), musician
  • Kayhan Kalhor, Grammy award-winning musician
  • Norm Macdonald, comedian, actor
  • Mia Martina, pop singer, bestselling author

Entrepreneurs

  • Suhayya Abu-Hakima, co-founder and CEO of AmikaNow! and Amika Mobile Corporation
  • David Azrieli, architect, 10th richest man in Canada
  • Conrad Black, former businessman
  • Trevor Matthews, founder and CEO of Brookstreet Pictures
  • Jamie Salter, founder and CEO of Authentic Brands Group
  • Eric Sprott, founder of Sprott Asset Management
  • Shane Smith, co-founder and CEO of Vice

Journalists

thumb|180px|[[Robert MacNeil]]

  • Nahlah Ayed, former Middle East correspondent and host of Ideas on CBC Radio One
  • Rosemary Barton, political journalist and host of Power & Politics on CBC News Network
  • Keith Boag, chief political correspondent for CBC News
  • Mark Bourrie, lawyer, journalist, author of RBC Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction for Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson
  • Rita Celli, host for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  • Andrew Chang, television journalist
  • Petronila Cleto, Filipino journalist, film critic and social activist
  • James Duthie, TSN host and journalist
  • Matthew Fraser, former editor-in-chief of National Post
  • Edward Greenspon, former editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail
  • Greg Ip, economic journalist, The Wall Street Journal
  • Peter Jennings, journalist and news anchor for ABC News, two-time Peabody Award winner, awarded a Litterarum doctor, honoris causa in 1997
  • Arthur Kent, Emmy award-winning war correspondent
  • Carolyn Mackenzie, broadcaster
  • Robert MacNeil, journalist, Officer of the Order of Canada
  • Sheila MacVicar, Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning journalist
  • Gavin McInnes, writer, founder of Vice
  • Saša Petricic, journalist, photographer, currently senior correspondent for CBC's The National
  • Paul Watson, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist

Politicians

thumb|180px|[[Greg Fergus]]

thumb|180px|[[Marit Stiles]]

  • Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
  • Arielle Kayabaga, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons of Canada
  • Niki Ashton, Member of Parliament, New Democratic Party leadership candidate
  • Lindsay Blackett, first black Cabinet minister in Alberta
  • Patrick Boyer, Member of Parliament
  • Gord Brown, Member of Parliament
  • Ben Carr, Member of Parliament
  • Mike Colle, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Alex Cullen, Member of Provincial Parliament, Ottawa City Councillor
  • Hans Daigeler, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Barry Devolin, former Member of Parliament
  • Paul Dewar, former Member of Parliament
  • Ward P.D. Elcock, Deputy Minister of Defence, former Director of Canadian Security Intelligence Service
  • Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada
  • Catherine Fife, Member of Provincial Parliament, President of the Ontario Public School Boards Association
  • Rob Ford, former mayor of the City of Toronto, studied political science for a year
  • Larisa Galadza, Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine
  • Evelyn Gigantes, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Jacqueline Creft, Minister of Women's Affairs of the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada
  • Abdul Momin Ismail, former Chief Minister of Brunei and member of the Legislative Council
  • Pauline Jewett, Member of Parliament, professor and Chancellor of Carleton University
  • Leo Jordan, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Wilbert Keon, Senator, heart surgeon
  • Catherine Kitts, Ottawa City Councillor
  • Branden Leslie, Member of Parliament
  • John Manley, former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Canada
  • Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament, former Minister of Public Safety
  • John Milloy Member of Provincial Parliament, Minister
  • Claudia Mo, Member of Hong Kong Legislative Council
  • Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament, former Member of Provincial Parliament
  • John Nater, Member of Parliament
  • Tom Nevakshonoff, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
  • Paul Okalik, former premier of Nunavut
  • Ernie Parsons, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Lester B. Pearson, former chancellor, professor, Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
  • Michael Prue, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Scott Reid, Member of Parliament
  • Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, former Prime Minister of Somalia
  • Norm Sterling, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Marit Stiles (born 1969), Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Jenna Sudds, Member of Parliament, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development
  • Barbara Sullivan, Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Judy Wasylycia-Leis, former Member of Parliament
  • Jim Watson, Member of Provincial Parliament, Mayor and City Councillor of Ottawa
  • Omar Zakhilwal, former Professor of Economics, Afghan Finance Minister and chief economic advisor to the president of Afghanistan

Sportspeople

thumb|180px|[[Waneek Horn-Miller]]

  • Derek Holmes, IIHF Hall of Fame inductee
  • Waneek Horn-Miller, Olympian and activist
  • Linda Thom, Olympic gold medal-winning shooter
  • Brian Wilks (born 1966), NHL hockey player

Writers

  • Chris Bailey, writer and productivity consultant
  • Shirley Barrie, playwright
  • Daniel Francis, writer and historian
  • Sara Gruen, fiction author known best for award-winning novel Water for Elephants
  • J.J. McAvoy, writer
  • Peter Worthington, editor-in-chief of the Toronto Sun

Others

  • Ngaire Blankenberg, former director of the National Museum of African Art
  • Louise Charron, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
  • Dan Conlin, historian, author, former journalist at CBC Ottawa, currently curator of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
  • Tong Daochi, former secretary of the Chinese Communist Party of Sanya Committee
  • Lorna deBlicquy, pioneering woman aviator
  • Michelle Douglas, human rights activist
  • Lorne Elias, inventor of the explosives vapour detector EVD-1
  • Allan Gregg, pollster, political pundit
  • Gregory Henriquez, architect, Governor-General's Medal for Architecture
  • Abdul Rahman Jabarah, alleged al-Qaeda member killed in 2003
  • Jim Judd, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
  • Kenneth Chan Kai-tai, Hong Kong actor and television host for Cable TV Hong Kong channel
  • Warren Kinsella, lawyer, author, musician, political consultant, lobbyist and commentator
  • Chalmers Jack Mackenzie, former chancellor, first president of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
  • Amy Miller, filmmaker
  • Michelle Mohabeer, filmmaker
  • Howard Nuk, industrial designer (former VP of Design at Samsung and Co-founder at Palm)
  • Kathryn Otley, Anglican bishop of Ottawa
  • Michele Pollesel, Anglican bishop of Uruguay
  • Karim Rashid, industrial designer
  • Cristine Rotenberg, crime statistics analyst and nail art YouTube personality
  • Wayne Smith, Chief Statistician of Statistics Canada
  • Harley Swedler, architect
  • Katie Tallo, filmmaker and writer
  • Susan Wood, Canadian literature scholar, pioneer of feminist science fiction studies
  • James K. Wright, composer, pianist, and musicologist
  • Janice Charette, Canadian public servant

Notable honorary degree recipients

  • Daniel Alfredsson, former Ottawa Senators captain
  • Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General (1997–2007), Nobel Peace Prize laureate; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2004
  • Tomson Highway, Indigenous playwright and novelist; awarded Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa in 2013
  • David Johnston, Governor General of Canada (2010–2017); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2016
  • Sheilah L. Martin, Canadian Judge, awarded Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2021
  • Romano Prodi, 79th Prime Minister of Italy; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2001
  • Herman Van Rompuy, 49th Prime Minister of Belgium (2008–2009) and then as the first permanent President of the European Council (2009–2014); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2017

|Musician

|Studied at Carleton

|-

| John Manley

| Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister

| Graduate

|-

| Randal Marlin

| Author

| Professor

|-

| Trevor Matthews

| Producer, actor

| Studied at Carleton

|-

| Gerald McMaster

| Author, artist, and curator

| Graduate

|-

| John Milloy

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Emma Miskew

| Olympic curler

| Graduate

|-

| Tom Nevakshonoff

| New Democrat Manitoba MLA

| Graduate

|-

| Ryan North

| Comic author

| Graduate

|-

| Paul Okalik

| Former Premier of Nunavut

| Graduate

|-

| Ernie Parsons

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Michael D. Prue

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| W. Wesley Pue

| Professor of law, past President of Canadian Law and Society Association

| Faculty

|-

|-

|-

| Karim Rashid

| Industrial designer

| Graduate

|-

| Scott Reid

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Cristina Rémond

| Model, anthropologist

| Graduate

|-

| Cristine Rotenberg

| Crime statistics analyst, YouTube personality

| Graduate

|-

| Don Scott

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Sheridan Scott

| Politician

| Professor

|-

| Norm Sterling

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Barbara Sullivan

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Doug Thompson

| Ottawa City Councillor

| Graduate

|-

| Chris Tse

| Spoken word poet

| Graduate

|-

| John Turmel

| Engineer, holder of Guinness world record for greatest number of elections lost

| Graduate

|-

| Jill Vickers

| Political scientist, author, candidate

| Professor

|-

|-

| Graham C. Walker

| Professor of Biology, MIT

| Graduate

|-

| Judy Wasylycia-Leis

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Jim Watson

| Politician

| Graduate

|-

| Douglas Whiteway

| Journalist

| Graduate

|-

| Peter Worthington

| Journalist

| Graduate

|-

|Hassan Diab (sociologist)

|Convicted of terrorism charges by a French court in absentia and sentenced to life in prison.

|Contract Instructor

|}

References

  • Great Grads – Carleton Alumni Services
  • 75 for the 75th – Faculty of Public Affairs, Carleton University
  • Charles Chi Named Next Carleton University Chancellor – Carleton Newsroom