Dr. Mike Sfraga confirmed as US Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs

Dr. Mike Sfraga, Chair of the Wilson Center Polar Institute, was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate as the new US Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, the Institute announced.

The Office of the Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs “leads and coordinates the advancement of US interests in the Arctic related to safety and security, sustainable economic growth, and strengthening cooperation among Arctic States to perpetuate and defend the rules-based order in the region,” the Institute said in an announcement.

“We are excited to share the news,” Polar Institute Director Rebecca Pincus said. “His confirmation today underscores the critical importance of the Arctic to the United States and the world.”

Dr. Sfraga is the first person to serve in this position since its creation in 2022. He is Chair and a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute and was its founding Director.

“Dr. Sfraga has played a pivotal role in shaping conversations on the Arctic’s geopolitical, environmental, and economic future,” the announcement said. “Dr. Sfraga brings a wealth of experience to this role, as an Alaskan, and having served as Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission, and professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.”

The Institute said that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), speaking from the Senate floor on Tuesday, commended Sfraga’s “decades of experience, deep expertise, and strong relationships with Arctic leaders,” adding that, “our allies support him, our Arctic partners support him, Alaskans support him, and I support him.”

Wilson Center President Ambassador Mark Green said “Mike Sfraga’s confirmation is good news for America’s leadership on the world stage —especially, of course in the Arctic. As the founder of the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute, he was instrumental in publicly reaffirming the strategic importance of the Arctic region, and I am confident that as the first US Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, Mike will be an effective advocate for US interests and sound national security, environmental, and economic policies. We are proud of him and his work.”

Director Pincus added that on a personal note, “Mike has long been a mentor and friend, and I am truly delighted to be sharing this news with you all today. There is no one better qualified to represent the US to the Arctic.” President Biden nominated Dr. Sfraga for the position in February of 2023.

At the time, Senator Murkowski said “This places the U.S. one step closer to having dedicated, high-level diplomatic representation in the Arctic, which will allow us to advance a range of U.S. policy priorities at a crucial time.”

Murkowski was quoted by the Alaska Beacon calling Sfraga a “true Arctic expert” who won’t need to learn on the job. “His experience is unmatched — serving as Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, Founding Director of the Polar Institute and the Wilson Center, and as an affiliate professor at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, among other position.”

Sfraga has a long list of Arctic-related affiliations and accomplishments, including past positions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he earned a PhD in geography and Northern studies. At UAF, he was a vice chancellor, associate vice president and associate dean, as well as serving in various faculty positions. He was the founding director of the Polar Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., served in a leadership position at the National Science Foundation and currently serves as a science adviser to the Finnish Institute for International Affairs.

The Beacon reported that “while the position of ambassador-at-large is new, two people have performed the general functions in the recent past. Admiral Robert Papp, the former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, served as the State Department’s special representative to the Arctic during the Obama administration, including the years in which the U.S. chaired the eight-nation Arctic Council. The Trump administration left the position vacant until 2020, when it appointed Jim DeHart, a career diplomat. DeHart left the State Department last year for a position in academia. Because neither were officially ambassadors, Papp and DeHart were not subject to Senate confirmation.”

Sfraga was born in Alaska and received a PhD in northern studies from in University of Alaska Fairbanks.