Criag Fleener took on the role of Deputy Director at the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies in January 2022. In addition to his duties at the Stevens Center, Craig also serves as a traditional guardsman in the Alaska Air National Guard.

Born and raised in Fort Yukon, Alaska, a remote community on the north bank of the Yukon River just above the Arctic Circle, Craig’s roots run deep in Alaska. His hometown, near the Yukon Territory border, is rich in heritage and is a grounding influence for his life and career.

Craig’s military journey began over 37 years ago, first as an enlisted U.S. Marine from 1986 to 1990. He then joined the Alaska Air National Guard in 1991. During his service he has served in various roles, from supply warehouseman and .50 caliber machine gunner to KC-135 air refueling aircraft crew chief, maintenance controller, and intelligence officer. In 2001, he earned his commission as a U.S. Air Force officer through the Academy of Military Sciences and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, working as Inspector General with the 168th Wing at Eielson AFB, Alaska. Craig has deployed overseas and recently served 16 months on active duty as Chief of Staff and Arctic Cell Deputy for the Eleventh Air Force commander.

Outside his military career, Craig has served his community as a wildland firefighter, wildlife biologist, climate researcher, and director of a regional tribal non-profit, focusing on healthcare, education, and natural resources. He has also held elected office, underscoring his commitment to his community.

Craig’s leadership has extended internationally. As a Permanent Participant of the Arctic Council, he co-chaired the Gwich’in Council International, advocating for the Gwich’in people across Alaska, the Yukon, and Northwest Territories. His work with the Council reflects his dedication to advancing Arctic cooperation and protecting Indigenous interests.

In Alaska’s state government, Craig has served under three governors as Director of the Division of Subsistence, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game, and an appointed cabinet member responsible for Arctic Policy and State and Federal Relations. In these roles, he was also third in line of succession for the governor.

Craig is deeply passionate about economic development, particularly for rural and tribal communities. He has championed initiatives like the blue economy and rural broadband expansion, creating new opportunities for Alaskans. His work reflects his enduring commitment to the people and places that have shaped him.

Nauja Bianco is an Inuk from Greenland, born and raised in the capital Nuuk in Greenland. Nauja has lived in Brussels, Belgium (2006-2010), and Toronto, Canada (2017-2019) and now lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, travelling the Arctic and the North still.

Nauja’s overall area of expertise is facilitating cooperation in the Arctic and the Nordic countries on policy, governance, economic development, arts, and culture. Being a global Greenlander, working for creating added value for the Arctic, the Nordics, and the trans-Atlantic bonds has always been Nauja’s ambition. She focuses on the need of connecting dots – initiatives, governments, businesses as well as people – through many means.

Nauja’s career has been within government, diplomacy, international relations, and foreign- and security policy. Nauja has worked for the Government of Greenland, as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and in the intergovernmental organization of the Nordic Council of Ministers (a cooperation between Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland along with Greenland, Faroe Islands and Åland Island). Between 2021-2024 Nauja was the CEO of the North Atlantic House and the Greenlandic House in Odense, Denmark. She’s now an independent consultant with her own company (Isuma Consulting) offering strategic advisory work and public affairs in Arctic and Nordic affairs.

Dr. Jessica M. Shadian is the President and CEO of Arctic360, Canada’s Premier Arctic think tank. During her 20 career she has lived and worked throughout the Nordic and North American Arctic as an Arctic researcher, professor, and consultant. Her peer reviewed articles, books, and media commentary focus on Arctic geopolitics, Arctic politics, Canadian Arctic foreign policy and diplomacy, Arctic infrastructure, critical minerals, and innovation. Her expertise is regularly solicited by international media outlets, governments, think tanks, and other institutions throughout the circumpolar region and globally. Shadian’s 2014 book entitled: The Politics of Arctic Sovereignty: Oil, Ice, and Inuit Governance (Routledge) is the first in-depth history of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and Inuit sovereignty in global politics reaching back to pre-European discovery. Shadian holds a Ph.D. in Global Governance from the University of Delaware (2006) during which she wrote her dissertation at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), University of Cambridge, UK on an NSF award. Shadian spent the following 5 years in the Norwegian high north as a researcher and professor at the Barents Institute and the High North Center for Business and Governance, Nord University, Bodø. During that time, Shadian was a co-creator and organiser of an Arctic Dialogue series which brought together state and local political leaders, oil and gas and other industry leaders, local Indigenous communities, and academia (from Norway, Alaska, and Greenland) concerned with Arctic offshore oil and gas development to share knowledge and ideas. Shadian later received a Marie Curie COFUND Fellowship award and served as an Associate Professor, Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS), Denmark before completing a two-year Nansen Professorship, co-funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of Akureyri, Iceland in June 2017. Having settled in Canada, her experiences around the Arctic made it clear that Canada needed its own Arctic specific think tank and working in collaboration with colleagues she dedicated herself full-time to build Arctic360.

Jaiden Stevens is a podcast intern at Arctic360, based in Norman Wells in the Sahtú region. He is the founder of his own startup digital media company, which focuses on community storytelling. Born in Winnipeg and a member of the Cree First Nation, Jaiden graduated from high school in Norman Wells and furthered his education through the Indigenous Leadership Opportunity Year (ILOY) at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. During ILOY, he engaged in both military training and academic courses, developing leadership skills tailored for Indigenous youth. Jaiden is advancing his professional skills through the Digital Marketing Institute Professional (DMI Pro) course at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).  At Arctic360, he is excited to apply his knowledge and passion for digital media to help produce engaging content that highlights the unique perspectives of Northern communities and the broader issues facing the Arctic region.