Former Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer has accepted the position of director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

College of Business and Public Policy Dean Tom Case, who oversees ISER, made the announcement.

Ulmer was one of two finalists for the position following a national search.

“ISER has a longstanding record of serving all Alaska as a nonpartisan institute providing research on issues important to our State's future,” said Case, “Fran Ulmer brings a wealth of experience in public policy and leadership to ISER as its new director.”

“I am delighted to be joining a team of professionals at the University of Alaska Anchorage who have made and will continue to make meaningful contributions to the public policy discussion on topics of importance to Alaskans," Ulmer said. 

“Over the last three decades I have had the opportunity to work on many issues, from fisheries to telecommunication. I have worked for Republicans and Democrats, in both state and local government, and have been fortunate enough to travel all over Alaska. I believe those experiences and understanding of Alaska's unique challenges will contribute to the University's mission of serving the state and to the work of ISER."

“I hope to expand ISER's ability to assist the public dialogue which is so essential in a democracy and so important to Alaska's future,” said Ulmer.

A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Ulmer has spent time on college campuses in Alaska and the Lower 48. She was selected as a Fellow in the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where she lectured and mentored students during the fall semester in 2003.

Spring semester of 2004, Ulmer was the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

For ten years Ulmer has served as one of three U.S. Commissioners on the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission. She was also a member of the Federal Communications Commission’s State and Local Advisory Committee and the Federal Elections Commission’s Advisory Committee.

“I have known and worked with Fran Ulmer for a number of years on many projects. She is an excellent choice for the leadership role at ISER and a great addition to UAA,” said Richard Strutz, Regional President Alaska for Wells Fargo Bank N.A.

In assuming the top spot at ISER, Ulmer will return to the work she did when first she came to Alaska – public policy research as head of the state Division of Policy Development and Planning under Governor Jay Hammond.

UAA Chancellor Elaine P. Maimon said, “I am pleased that Fran Ulmer’s leadership of ISER will be informed by thirty years of public policy experience, as well as university experience at UAA and at Harvard. She is eager to serve the community, the state of Alaska, and our students in this new capacity.”

As mayor of Juneau in the 1980s, Ulmer initiated a series of redevelopment initiatives that strengthened the city’s economy. She then served eight years in the Alaska House of Representatives, where, in addition to House committees, she was an active member of several multi-state organizations that dealt with the research and analysis of public policy issues.

From 1994 to 2002 Ulmer served as Alaska’s lieutenant governor.

"Fran's experience in local and state government will be a tremendous asset for ISER," Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich said.

"We look forward to a continued strong partnership between UAA and the Municipality on future projects."

Ulmer will take the lead at ISER beginning February 14th at a salary of $125,000 per year.