Biography

Interim Chancellor 
Ambassador Mike Sfraga (ret.), Ph.D. 

Ambassador Mike Sfraga (ret.), Ph.D., was appointed to serve as UAF interim chancellor in July 2025. Sfraga is a three-time presidential appointee, Fulbright Scholar, author, public speaker, former think tank director and university executive. 

Sfraga was nominated by President Joseph Biden, upon the recommendation of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and later confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the nation’s first ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs. He was twice appointed by Biden to serve as chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission.

Sfraga previously served as the founding director and then-chair and distinguished fellow of the Polar Institute, as well as director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He is a Fulbright Scholar and co-developed and twice served as co-lead scholar for the U.S. State Department’s inaugural Fulbright Arctic Initiative. 

Sfraga plays a central role in the further development and growth of the Munich Security Conference Arctic Security Roundtable and frequently leads this high-level dialogue. He has held numerous administrative, academic and executive-level positions, is a resident of Alaska, and has spent nearly four decades working on Arctic-related issues.

A geographer by training, Sfraga’s work is centered on the evolving domestic and international dimensions of the Arctic. His extensive public speaking, facilitation, consultation, and development of conceptual frameworks have provided context and clarity, furthering our understanding of the Arctic. 

Sfraga is called upon to inform and influence meaningful policy discussions, such as the nexus of U.S. Arctic and foreign policy, the increasingly complex geopolitical and security landscapes of the Arctic, and the internationalization of the Arctic, including the inherent connections between the Arctic and the Indo-Pacific, North American and Euro-Atlantic regions.

Sfraga is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has testified before Congress, and maintains an active national and international speaking and facilitation schedule. His commentary has been featured in major media outlets. He is co-editor of the Wilson Center Monograph “Navigating the Arctic’s 7Cs,” which explores the conceptual framework for considering and addressing the key drivers of change in the Arctic. 

Sfraga earned the first Ph.D. in Northern studies and geography from UAF. He also has a bachelor’s degree from UAF and a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University.