@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ Each `build_*.py` follows the same pattern:
 
 ### People: three sources, one order
 
-People appear in `data/people.xlsx`, `documents/JRM_CV.tex` and `lab-manual/lab_manual.tex`, and all three should agree on names, years and order. `build_people.py` orders the undergrad alumni on `people.html` by their order in the CV (`parse_cv_undergrad_order`), so the CV's order is the reference: start year newest first, then name. `reconcile_people.py` checks names only, not years or order.
+People appear in `data/people.xlsx`, `documents/JRM_CV.tex` and `lab-manual/lab_manual.tex`, and all three should agree on names, years and order. `build_people.py` orders the undergrad alumni on `people.html` by their order in the CV (`parse_cv_undergrad_order`), so the CV's order is the reference: start year newest first, then name. `scripts/people_order.py` holds that rule; onboarding and offboarding insert every CV, lab-manual and alumni-sheet entry at its sorted position through it. `reconcile_people.py` checks names only, not years or order.
 
 ### Key Directories
 
 
@@ -471,20 +471,20 @@ <h4>Postdoctoral Advisees</h4>
 <h4>Graduate Advisees</h4>
 <ol reversed start="11">
   <li>Claudia Gonciulea (Doctoral student; 2025 – )</li>
+  <li>Mark Taylor (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical Sciences; 2021)</li>
   <li>Paxton Fitzpatrick (Doctoral student; 2021 – )</li>
   <li>Xinming Xu (Doctoral student; 2021 – )</li>
-  <li>Mark Taylor (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical Sciences; 2021)</li>
   <li>Caroline Lee (Doctoral student; 2019 – 2021)</li>
-  <li>Max Bluestone (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical
-Sciences; 2018 – 2020)</li>
   <li>Deepanshi Shokeen (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical
+Sciences; 2018 – 2020)</li>
+  <li>Max Bluestone (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical
 Sciences; 2018 – 2020)</li>
   <li>Kirsten Ziman (Doctoral student; 2017 – 2022; current position: Postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University)</li>
+  <li>Hanli Li (Masters student, Computer Science; co-advised with Qiang
+Liu; 2016)</li>
   <li>Lucy Owen (Doctoral student; 2016 – 2021; current position: Assistant Professor at University of Montana)</li>
   <li>Tom Hao Chang (Masters student, Computer Science; co-advised with
 Qiang Liu; 2016 – 2017; current position: Robinhood)</li>
-  <li>Hanli Li (Masters student, Computer Science; co-advised with Qiang
-Liu; 2016)</li>
 </ol>
 <h4>Thesis Committees</h4>
 <ol reversed start="22">
 
@@ -671,20 +671,20 @@ \subsection*{Mentorship  (selected)}
 \textit{Graduate Advisees}:
 \begin{etaremune}
 \item Claudia Gonciulea (Doctoral student; 2025 -- )
+\item Mark Taylor (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical Sciences; 2021)
 \item Paxton Fitzpatrick (Doctoral student; 2021 -- )
 \item Xinming Xu (Doctoral student; 2021 -- )
-\item Mark Taylor (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical Sciences; 2021)
 \item Caroline Lee (Doctoral student; 2019 -- 2021)
-\item Max Bluestone (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical
-Sciences; 2018 -- 2020)
 \item Deepanshi Shokeen (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical
 Sciences; 2018 -- 2020)
+\item Max Bluestone (Masters student, Quantitative Biomedical
+Sciences; 2018 -- 2020)
 \item Kirsten Ziman (Doctoral student; 2017 -- 2022; current position: Postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University)
+\item Hanli Li (Masters student, Computer Science; co-advised with Qiang
+Liu; 2016)
 \item Lucy Owen (Doctoral student; 2016 -- 2021; current position: Assistant Professor at University of Montana)
 \item Tom Hao Chang (Masters student, Computer Science; co-advised with
 Qiang Liu; 2016 -- 2017; current position: Robinhood)
-\item Hanli Li (Masters student, Computer Science; co-advised with Qiang
-Liu; 2016)
 \end{etaremune}
 
 \textit{Thesis Committees}:
 
@@ -273,12 +273,12 @@ <h3>Postdoctoral Researchers</h3>
                     <h3>Graduate Students</h3>
                     <p>Mark Taylor (2021)<br>
                     Caroline Lee (2019-2021)<br>
-                    Max Bluestone (2018-2020)<br>
                     Deepanshi Shokeen (2018-2020)<br>
+                    Max Bluestone (2018-2020)<br>
                     Kirsten Ziman (2017-2022; now at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu" target="_blank">Princeton University</a>)<br>
+                    Hanli Li (2016; now at <a href="https://www.umt.edu/" target="_blank">University of Montana</a>)<br>
                     Lucy Owen (2016-2021; now at <a href="https://www.umt.edu/" target="_blank">University of Montana</a>)<br>
-                    Tom Hao Chang (2016-2017)<br>
-                    Hanli Li (2016)</p>
+                    Tom Hao Chang (2016-2017)</p>
 
                     <h3>Lab Managers</h3>
                     <p><a href="http://paxtonfitzpatrick.github.io" target="_blank">Paxton Fitzpatrick</a> (2018-2021; now a <a href="https://context-lab.com" target="_blank">CDL grad student!</a>)<br>
 
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 import openpyxl
 
 from onboard_member import rebuild_pages
+from people_order import order_key
 
 
 def get_project_root() -> Path:
@@ -105,8 +106,18 @@ def prompt_for_selection(matches: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> Optional[Dict[str, An
             print("Please enter a valid number")
 
 
-def move_to_alumni(xlsx_path: Path, member: Dict[str, Any], years_string: str) -> bool:
-    """Move member to alumni sheet with the given years string (e.g., '2024-2026' or '2026')."""
+def move_to_alumni(
+    xlsx_path: Path,
+    member: Dict[str, Any],
+    years_string: str,
+    display_name: Optional[str] = None,
+) -> bool:
+    """Move member to alumni sheet with the given years string (e.g., '2024-2026' or '2026').
+
+    The row goes at its sorted position (newest start year first, then name;
+    see people_order.py) under display_name -- the CV's spelling -- falling
+    back to a title-cased spreadsheet name.
+    """
     if member_already_alumni(xlsx_path, member["name"]):
         print(
             f"  {member['name']} is already in alumni list, skipping spreadsheet update"
@@ -119,17 +130,37 @@ def move_to_alumni(xlsx_path: Path, member: Dict[str, Any], years_string: str) -
     members_sheet.delete_rows(member["_row_idx"])
 
     alumni_sheet = wb["alumni_undergrads"]
+    name = display_name or member["name"].title()
+    key = order_key(name, years_string[:4])
 
-    alumni_sheet.insert_rows(2)
-    alumni_sheet.cell(row=2, column=1, value=member["name"].title())
-    alumni_sheet.cell(row=2, column=2, value=years_string)
+    row = alumni_sheet.max_row + 1
+    for r in range(2, alumni_sheet.max_row + 1):
+        existing, years = (alumni_sheet.cell(r, c).value for c in (1, 2))
+        start = re.search(r"\d{4}", str(years or ""))
+        if existing and start and order_key(existing, start.group(0)) > key:
+            row = r
+            break
+
+    alumni_sheet.insert_rows(row)
+    alumni_sheet.cell(row=row, column=1, value=name)
+    alumni_sheet.cell(row=row, column=2, value=years_string)
 
     wb.save(xlsx_path)
     wb.close()
     print(f"  Moved {member['name']} to alumni_undergrads with years {years_string}")
     return True
 
 
+def get_cv_display_name(cv_path: Path, member_name: str) -> Optional[str]:
+    """The member's name as the CV spells it ('Miles McDonald'), without the
+    thesis asterisk; the spreadsheet stores names lowercase."""
+    content = cv_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    match = re.search(
+        r"\\item\s+(" + re.escape(member_name) + r")\*?\s*\(", content, re.IGNORECASE
+    )
+    return match.group(1) if match else None
+
+
 def get_cv_start_year(cv_path: Path, member_name: str) -> Optional[str]:
     """Extract the start year from the CV entry for a member."""
     content = cv_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
@@ -270,7 +301,9 @@ def offboard_member(
     else:
         years_string = end_year
 
-    move_to_alumni(xlsx_path, member, years_string)
+    move_to_alumni(
+        xlsx_path, member, years_string, get_cv_display_name(cv_path, member["name"])
+    )
     update_cv_entry(cv_path, member["name"], end_year)
 
     # Update lab-manual (best-effort; failure doesn't block offboarding)
 
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 # same people issue #14 was about. The hosted service costs the lab nothing,
 # needs no download, and answers in about a second.
 from dartmouth_chat import DartmouthChatError, chat as dartmouth_chat
+from people_order import insert_item_sorted
 
 # =============================================================================
 # Constants
@@ -1090,8 +1091,10 @@ def add_to_cv(cv_path: Path, name: str, role: str, year: str) -> bool:
         return False
 
     entry = section["entry"].format(name=name, year=year)
-    insert_pos = match.end()
-    new_content = content[:insert_pos] + f"\n  {entry}" + content[insert_pos:]
+    list_start = match.end()
+    list_end = content.index("\\end{etaremune}", list_start)
+    items = insert_item_sorted(content[list_start:list_end], entry, name, year)
+    new_content = content[:list_start] + items + content[list_end:]
 
     cv_path.write_text(new_content, encoding="utf-8")
     print(f"  Added {name} to CV under {section['label']}")
 
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 import subprocess
 from pathlib import Path
 
+from people_order import insert_item_sorted
+
 
 def parse_members_chapter(tex_path):
     """Extract all member/alumni entries from lab_manual.tex.
@@ -365,9 +367,9 @@ def add_member_to_lab_manual(tex_path, name, role, start_year):
         if _has_item(match.group(2), name):
             return False
 
-        before = match.group(1) + match.group(2).rstrip()
+        items = insert_item_sorted(match.group(2), new_item, name, start_year)
         new_section = (
-            section[:match.start()] + before + '\n' + new_item + '\n'
+            section[:match.start()] + match.group(1) + items
             + match.group(3) + section[match.end():]
         )
 
@@ -441,10 +443,12 @@ def move_member_to_alumni(tex_path, name, end_year):
     if not alumni_block:
         new_alumni = _insert_role_block(alumni_section, role_category, alumni_item)
     else:
-        before = alumni_block.group(1) + alumni_block.group(2).rstrip()
+        items = insert_item_sorted(
+            alumni_block.group(2), alumni_item, manual_name, start_year
+        )
         new_alumni = (
-            alumni_section[:alumni_block.start()] + before + '\n' + alumni_item
-            + '\n' + alumni_block.group(3) + alumni_section[alumni_block.end():]
+            alumni_section[:alumni_block.start()] + alumni_block.group(1) + items
+            + alumni_block.group(3) + alumni_section[alumni_block.end():]
         )
 
     content = content[:alumni_start] + new_alumni + content[alumni_end:]