If you’ve spent any time in Sarasota, you know New College of Florida is... different. It’s that tiny, palm-fringed campus where students used to get "narrative evaluations" instead of GPA-destroying letter grades. People always ask: "Does anyone actually get a job after going to a school with no grades?"
Honestly? They do way more than just get jobs.
The list of new college of florida notable alumni is a weirdly impressive mix of billionaires, Emmy winners, and the literal guy who invented the most famous productivity system on the planet. It’s a school that produces people who think outside the box because, frankly, the school doesn't really have a box. Whether you're looking at the tech world, the halls of Congress, or your own bookshelf, there’s probably a New College grad lurking in the credits.
The Heavy Hitters in Business and Tech
You might not expect a "public liberal arts honors college" to be a breeding ground for cutthroat business tycoons, but the data says otherwise. Take David A. Siegel. He’s the billionaire founder of Westgate Resorts. You might recognize him from the documentary The Queen of Versailles. He started out at New College in the late 60s back when the school was still in its infancy. It’s a pretty wild jump from a small Florida campus to owning one of the largest privately held timeshare companies in the world.
Then there’s the productivity crowd. If you have ever tried to organize your life using the "Getting Things Done" method, you’ve used the brain of a New College alum. David Allen (class of ’68) is the guy behind GTD. His book has sold millions of copies. It's kinda funny to think that the most structured productivity system in modern history came from a guy who attended a college known for having almost no structure at all.
And we can’t talk about tech without mentioning Aaron Hillegass. He’s the founder of Big Nerd Ranch. If you’ve ever learned how to code for iOS or Android, you’ve probably used his materials. He’s basically a legend in the developer community. Forbes even pegged him as one of the top amateur stock pickers in America at one point. It’s that classic New College trajectory—taking a niche interest and turning it into a massive industry standard.
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Political Power and Legal Lions
Politics at New College has always been a contact sport. The school has a reputation for being a bit of a lightning rod, and its graduates reflect that intensity. Lincoln Díaz-Balart is a huge name here. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly two decades. His brother, José Díaz-Balart, didn't go the political route but became an Emmy-winning anchor for NBC and Telemundo. That’s a lot of influence coming out of one family and one tiny school.
On the legal side, things get even more intense. Have you seen the movie Dark Waters? Mark Ruffalo plays a lawyer named Robert Bilott. That’s a real guy, and yes, he’s a New College alum. He spent years taking on DuPont over PFOA contamination, basically fighting a real-life corporate monster.
Then there's Anita L. Allen. She’s a total powerhouse in the world of law and philosophy. She was the first African American woman to hold both a PhD in philosophy and a law degree, and she’s a professor at Penn Law. She even served on President Obama’s Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.
Other political and activist names you’ll see pop up:
- X González: One of the most prominent faces of the March for Our Lives movement.
- Jennifer Granick: A major player at the ACLU and a legend in civil liberties and surveillance law.
- Nancy McEldowney: A former U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria who served as a high-level advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Arts, Science, and "Wait, They Went There?"
This is where the list gets fun. New College grads are everywhere in the "intellectual cool" space.
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William Thurston won the Fields Medal. That’s basically the Nobel Prize for mathematicians. He was a titan in the field of topology. On the flip side of the brain, you have Carol Flint, who wrote and produced for massive TV hits like ER and The West Wing.
And then there's Merlin Mann. If you listen to podcasts, you know Merlin. He’s a writer and broadcaster who basically defined the "productivity porn" genre on the internet with 43 Folders. He’s got that signature New College wit—smart, a little bit cynical, and deeply obsessed with how things work.
Let’s talk about music for a second. The Dollyrots? Both Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas are alums. They took their degrees and traded them for pop-punk stardom. It’s a vibe.
Why Does This Tiny School Punch Above Its Weight?
It’s about the "Independent Study Project" (ISP). Every January, New College students have to do a deep dive into one specific topic. No classes, just research. It forces you to figure out how to learn without someone holding your hand. When you look at new college of florida notable alumni, you see that common thread: people who aren't afraid to go off-script.
Whether it’s Rick Doblin, who founded MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) and spent 30 years fighting to make MDMA-assisted therapy legal, or Melissa Cristina Márquez, a marine biologist known as the "Mother of Sharks," these people tend to pick a lane and dominate it.
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The 2026 Perspective: Why It Still Matters
Lately, New College has been in the news for a lot of "culture war" stuff. There’s been a massive shift in leadership and a push to change the school’s identity. But when you look at the alumni, the legacy is already baked in. The "old" New College produced a specific type of thinker—someone who could handle a narrative evaluation and turn it into a career at NASA or the Federal Reserve (like William C. Dudley, former President of the NY Fed).
Critics might say the school is changing too much, but the alumni network remains a weirdly tight-knit group of overachievers. They are the proof that the "Florida experiment" actually worked for a lot of people.
Next Steps for Researching New College Success
If you're looking into the school or just curious about where these people end up, don't just look at the big names. Check out the New College of Florida Alumni Association website. They keep a running log of "Class Notes" that shows where the non-famous grads are. You’ll find them in local government, specialized scientific labs, and boutique law firms across the country.
If you want to see the impact of a New College education in action, I'd recommend reading Robert Bilott’s book Exposure or listening to an episode of Merlin Mann’s Back to Work podcast. It gives you a much better feel for the "New College brain" than a Wikipedia list ever could.