As Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage, Fran Ulmer brings to the position 30 years of experience of public policy in Alaska.  Previously, she was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the Institute of Social and Economic Research. In the early 1980s, Fran was the Mayor of Juneau, then a member of the Alaska House of Representatives (1986-1994) and in 1994, Fran became the first female Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. In that year, she was appointed to the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission by President Bill Clinton and served on this international board for 11 years. 

Fran has participated in numerous panels, task forces, commissions and forums as a speaker, moderator and panelist to address the intersection of science, economics, politics and policy.  Fran currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Parks Conservation Association, the Advisory Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Alaska Nature Conservancy Board. Fran has a BA in political science and economics and a Law Degree from the University of Wisconsin.