Mara Kimmel

Mara Kimmel serves as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage, leveraging extensive professional experience in law and community advocacy to inform her academic work.

Her educational qualifications include:

• Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University (2014)
• J.D., University of Minnesota School of Law (1996)
• M.S. in Natural Resources Management, University of Alaska Fairbanks (1990)
• B.A. in Political Science, University of California Berkeley (1986)

Her research integrates public policy with environmental governance and human rights frameworks, emphasizing practical applications in Alaskan communities. This focus stems directly from her fieldwork with Alaska Native tribes and legal advocacy for immigrant populations.

Prior to academia, Kimmel co-founded the Alaska Institute for Justice—Alaska's sole non-profit delivering low-cost immigration legal services and human rights policy analysis—and collaborated with Indigenous communities on environmental decision-making structures, establishing a career-long commitment to justice-oriented scholarship.