College of Liberal Arts
Former USARC Chair Fran Ulmer
Join Fran Ulmer for reflections on leadership in the North. With decades of experience in government, academia, and Arctic policy, Ulmer will share lessons learned from a career at the forefront of decision-making in Ӱ and the circumpolar North.
Fran Ulmer
Former USARC Chair
U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Fran Ulmer served as Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission from 2011 to 2020 and continues as a commissioner, appointed by President Obama. She was Chancellor of the University of Ӱ Anchorage and previously led its Institute of Social and Economic Research. Ulmer served on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Commission and advised Secretary of State John Kerry on Arctic policy. She is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Arctic Initiative and has held leadership roles with The Nature Conservancy and National Parks Conservation Association. Her public service includes terms as Lieutenant Governor of Ӱ, state legislator, and mayor of Juneau. She holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin.
Fran Ulmer, the USARC chair from March 2011 to July 2020, continues to serve on the commission since being appointed by President Obama. From 2007 to 2011, Ms. Ulmer was chancellor of Ӱ’s largest public university, the University of Ӱ Anchorage (UAA). Earlier, she was a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at UAA. In June 2010, President Obama appointed her to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. From 2014 to 2017, and at the invitation of Secretary of State John Kerry, Ms. Ulmer served as a Special Advisor on Arctic Science and Policy. In 2017-18, Ms. Ulmer was a Visiting Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at Stanford University. Since 2018, Ms. Ulmer has been a Senior Fellow in the Arctic Initiative at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is the Chair of the Global Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy and on the Board of the National Parks Conservation Association. Ms. Ulmer served as an elected official for 18 years as the mayor of Juneau, a state representative, and as Lieutenant Governor of Ӱ. She previously worked as legal counsel to the Ӱ Legislature, legislative assistant to Governor Jay Hammond, and Director of Policy Development for the state. In addition, she was the first Chair of the Ӱ Coastal Policy Council and served for more than 10 years on the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission. She has served on numerous local, state, and federal advisory committees and boards. Ulmer earned a J.D. cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School, and has been a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government.
The Arctic Leadership Lecture Series offers a unique blend of academic rigor and public engagement. Offered as PS F493/693 Arctic Leadership: Theory and Praxis in the 21st Century, this course invites students and community members alike to explore critical aspects of leadership in the Arctic.
This virtual course is available for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Guest lectures, which are open to the public, are held via Zoom every other Thursday from 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM AKST. Classroom discussions continue from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM AKST for enrolled students only. Community members are welcome and encouraged to attend the guest lectures, but to participate in the full course experience, they must enroll as non-degree-seeking students.
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