Arctic Leadership Initiative

Program Leadership

The initiative will bring tangible and immediate value to partner organizations and communities. We are bringing together Alaska Native organizations, communities, public agencies, and private partners to focus on Arctic needs and issues. Partner organizations will mentor students, provide internships, and showcase Arctic life and culture.

UA’s Arctic Leadership Initiative is a critical investment in the future of the Arctic. By leveraging the expertise of distinguished faculty and fostering new leaders, UA is ensuring that Alaskans will play a pivotal role in shaping the Arctic's future.

President's Arctic Professors

Dr. Hill is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), and served as program director for Arctic Social Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF) between 2020 and 2024. She is a broadly trained archaeologist with research interests in many parts of the world including the Arctic. Dr. Hill has archeological excavation experience in Alaska, Florida, the Southwest U.S., Mexico, Peru, and the Russian Far East and has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Honduras. She was a 2016–2017 Fulbright–NSF Arctic Research Scholar, and spent a semester at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik studying the Icelandic language and researching the use of horses in Viking Age burial practices.
Dr. Hinzman recently served as the Assistant Director of Polar Sciences in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and as the Executive Director of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee. He is a former Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). He served as the Director of the UAF International Arctic Research Center (IARC) from 2007 to 2015. Dr. Hinzman also served as a member of the U.S. Polar Research Board and as the U.S. delegate and president of the International Arctic Science Committee. 

Dr. Libby serves as the Principal Investigator for ADAC-ARCTIC, the Arctic Domain Awareness Center housed at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), formed with a $46 million, 10-year cooperative agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. He also serves as Director of the Center of Strategic Partnerships and Research (CSPR) and the Director of the Applied Environmental Research Center (AERC). Dr. Libby previously served as an Associate Dean for the UAA Community and Technical College. He is passionate about the Arctic and has been instrumental with student engagement opportunities throughout his career.

Steering Committee Members 

  • Pearl Brower, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC)
  • Nancy Dahlstrom, Lt. Governor
  • Bryce Edgemon, Representative District 37
  • Jocelyn Fenton, Denali Commission
  • Matt Hickey, Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies
  • Rachel Kallander, Arctic Encounter Symposium
  • Molly McCammon, Alaska Ocean Observing System
  • Cheryl Rosa, US Arctic Research Commission 
  • Raina Thiele, Department of Interior 

Ex Officio

  • Daniel White, University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Sean Parnell, University of Alaska Anchorage
  • Aparna Palmer, University of Alaska Southeast