No matter how you define "success," you're sure to find lots of examples in graduates of Georgia's colleges and universities. They cover nearly every job field available, from entertainment and education to politics, sports, and the corporate world.
To prove the point, here's a sampling of 55 successful professionals who have a degree from some of the top colleges in and around Atlanta. There are many more grads we could include, but this helps show exactly how wide the range of achievements are.
Emory University, Atlanta
1. H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of New York Times best-seller "Life's Little Instruction Book"
2. Kristian Bush, Sugarland band member and Grammy and Country Music Association award winner
3. R. Callaway, Jr., founder of Callaway Golf Company
4. M. Lanier "Sonny" Carter, astronaut
5. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
6. Robert Henrikson, president and CEO of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
7. Sam Nunn, former U.S. Senator (Georgia)
8. Adam Richman, "Man vs. Food" TV show host
9. Robert W. Woodruff, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
10. Gil Amelio, former CEO of Apple Computers
11. Jimmy Carter, former U.S. president
12. Robert Crippen, astronaut
13. Mike Duke, president and CEO of Wal-Mart
14. Nomar Garciaparra, major league baseball player (Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers)
15. Bobby Jones, professional golfer
16. Arthur Murray, dance instructor and businessman
17. John Portman, architect
18. John Young, astronaut
Georgia State University, Atlanta
19. Michael Gearon Jr., owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks
20. Richard H. Lenny, Director of McDonald's Corporation and former CEO of The Hershey Company
21. Ken Lewis, former CEO of Bank of America
22. Jody Powell, White House press secretary under President Jimmy Carter (1977 to 1981)
23. Glenn Richardson, former speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives
Mercer University, Macon
24. Griffin B. Bell, former U.S. Court of Appeals judge and Attorney General of the United States
25. Steve Berry, New York Times and No. 1 internationally best-selling author
26. Cathy Cox, President of Young Harris College and former Georgia Secretary of State
27. Nathan Deal, Georgia Governor
28. Nancy Grace, host of the "Nancy Grace" legal analysis program on Headline News
29. Reg Murphy, former president and vice chairman of the National Geographic Society and former editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
30. Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., president of Conde Nast
31. George McIntosh Sparks, founder of Georgia State University
Morehouse College, Atlanta
32. Herman Cain, Tea Party activist
33. Donn Clendenon, New York Mets outfielder and 1969 World Series MVP
34. Maynard H. Jackson, first African-American mayor of Atlanta
35. Samuel L. Jackson, Academy Award nominee, stage and film actor
36. Jeh Johnson, United States Secretary of Homeland Security
37. Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize laureate and civil rights leader
38. Robert L. Mallett, former deputy secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce and senior vice
president of Pfizer Corporation
39. Edwin C. Moses, Olympic gold medalist and financial consultant
40. Spike Lee, filmmaker
Spelman College, Atlanta
41. Evelynn M. Hammonds, dean of Harvard College
42. Alexine Clement Jackson, chair of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and former National President of the YWCA
43. LaTanya Richardson Jackson, stage, film, and television actress ("Malcolm X" and "Sleepless in Seattle")
44. Audrey F. Manley, former Assistant Surgeon General of the United States
45. Kathleen McGee-Anderson, television producer and playwright ("Lincoln Heights")
46. Shaun Robinson, actress and correspondent for "Access Hollywood"
47. Rolonda Watts, journalist, actress, former talk show host and current on-camera announcer on "Divorce Court"
48. Keshia Knight-Pulliam, actress ("The Cosby Show")
University of Georgia, Athens
49. Deborah Norville, journalist and longtime host of "Inside Edition"
50. Phaedra Parks, "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reality television star
51. William P. "Billy" Payne, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and former president/CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG)
52. Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize winner and U.S. poet laureate
53. Brandon Stanton, best-selling author and creator of the blog "Humans of New York"
54. Fran Tarkenton, NFL quarterback (New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings)
55. Bubba Watson, professional golfer
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