Meet Our Team

Jennifer Hoppough is the Chief of Faculty Affairs and Services at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Office of the Provost. Currently pursuing a PhD with a focus on Food Security and Sustainability within Alaska's Culinary Ecosystem. Jennifer  possesses over 20 years of experience in academia and the workforce, and has served in various managerial roles at UA. 

She holds an M.F.A. in English - Non-Fiction (2014), an M.A. in English (2012), a B.A. in English Literature (2002), and an A.A.S. in Paralegal Studies (2002) from UAF, as well as a certificate in Principles and Techniques of Fundraising from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (2008). Jennifer's career highlights include directing the UA Foundation Statewide Stewardship program, and overseeing the publications of (CASE) award-winning annual reports, 

Jennifer is a key resource for faculty at UAF, leveraging her vast institutional knowledge to connect them with university resources. Her efforts in implementing innovative techniques and streamlining processes have  enhanced organizational effectiveness across the university.

Trent Sutton completed his undergraduate education (B.S.) in Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University and received a M.S. in Biological Sciences from Michigan Technological University and a Ph.D. in Fisheries Sciences from Virginia Tech. Prior to coming to UAF in 2007, Trent held faculty positions at both Lake Superior State University (1996-2001) and Purdue University (2001-2007). During his time at UAF, Trent held positions as a Professor of Fisheries Biology in the Department of Fisheries and as the Associate Dean of Academic Programs in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Currently, he serves as the Vice Provost and Accreditation Liaison Officer, Dean of the Division of Exploratory Studies and Academic Success, and Director of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA).

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing”

-Theodore Roosevelt

As the Accreditation & Assessment Coordinator for the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Rochelle collaborates closely with the Vice Provost to ensure institutional excellence. Rochelle's academic journey began with an Associate of Arts degree from Spokane Falls Community College, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in English from Central Washington University. Currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at UAF, Rochelle is dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and academic integrity within the university community. Personally, she takes great pride in her children's educational pursuits: her daughter excels as an Honor's College student at UAF, while her son thrives at Northstar College.

Victoria attained her Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management/Wildlife Biology from Oklahoma State University whilst also working as a veterinary technician. Her insatiable curiosity and commitment to understanding the natural world drove her to develop a passion for connecting people with the information she was learning. Following college, Victoria worked as an ophthalmic veterinary nurse, where she honed her skills and compassion for animal care over a span of five enriching years. Driven by an innate knack for effective communication, Victoria discovered her aptitude for fostering connections and soon recognized a new avenue where her talents could flourish. Victoria joined the UAF team as an Information Officer in January 2024. She serves the Provost's Office, DEXSAS, URSA, and Accreditation. Fueled by her passion for education, she is determined to illuminate the vital endeavors undertaken within higher education, using modern communication avenues and innovative online presentation to engage and inspire.

Jen Tilbury is the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success at UAF, the director of the UAF Writing Center, and the Chair of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies. As part of her role, she directs operations at the Student Success Center (SSC). The SSC is an amazing one-stop shop for student academic support, housing first-year advising, Career Services, the Math & Stat lab, the Writing Center, the Communication Center, and more (come see us!). A lifelong Alaskan, Jen graduated from UAF with an MA in English Literature in 2003. Prior to her position as Associate Vice Provost,  taught various writing courses at UAF as a full-time faculty member. She is currently pursuing an EdD in Organizational Leadership. Her favorite aspect of working at UAF is connecting students with the academic support they need to succeed in their classes. 

In her spare time, Jen enjoys reading, jogging, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Rey Young is the student worker for the Office of the Provost and assists in maintaining the faculty database and archives. He first started attending UAF in 2021 and spent his first semester majoring in filmmaking before changing it to English with a focus on creative writing. After a three semester gap year where he gained work experience being a front desk attendant for a hotel in Sitka, he is back to continue earning his Bachelor’s degree.

Overall, Rey values making the university a place that is safe and accepting of everyone and believes all people have a right to a higher education. One of his favorite aspects of UAF is the amount of acceptance for people of all backgrounds and the queer community.

You may find Rey attending SoBear Lounges or playing Magic: The Gathering (MTG) in the Wood Center. He dabbles in various arts from time to time and is an active member of the TTRPG club. He enjoys horror, Star Wars, and Fallout and will gladly talk about any of which until he loses his voice.

“Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. Statement begins.”

• Jonathan Sims

Originally from the Florida panhandle, Libby earned a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in behavioral science and modern language from the University of Central Florida. She participated in interdisciplinary research examining behavioral and linguistic components of primary education in Botswana, where she taught in rural communities. Since moving to Fairbanks, she has continued her career in public education, initially serving UAF as a UIS Advisor before transitioning to Accreditation. Libby is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration and enjoys crocheting, playing video games, engaging in various art projects, and parenting her cat, Toby.

Trent Sutton serves as Vice Provost, Accreditation Liaison Officer, Dean of General Studies, and Director of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA). Trent completed his undergraduate education (B.S.) in Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University, and received a M.S. in Biological Sciences from Michigan Technological University and a Ph.D. in Fisheries Sciences from Virginia Tech. Prior to coming to UAF in 2007, Trent held faculty positions at both Lake Superior State University (1996-2001) and Purdue University (2001-2007). During his time at UAF, Trent held positions as a Professor of Fisheries Biology in the Department of Fisheries and as the Associate Dean of Academic Programs in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

Jodie Anderson’s research interests are in soil biochemistry with a focus on soil health in cold agricultural soils. Her comprehensive training began with a BS in Secondary Science Education Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a MAT in Science Education (Biology) from Brown University. She taught chemistry and life sciences at the high school and college levels for 11 years in North Carolina. Jodie is the great-niece and granddaughter of two Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service professionals.  

Jodie and her family moved to Palmer in 2003 where she worked UAF in both the Cooperative Extension Service and the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences for eight years. While at UAF, she began and managed the Alaska Community Horticulture Program and focused research on soil building, organic nitrogen soil supplements, compost development, and community gardening.

In 2007, Jodie began taking soil courses to improve her ability to convey necessary research to cooperating growers, non-commercial producers, and Alaska gardeners. She enrolled in the UAF Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Soil Biochemistry.  After UAF in 2011, Jodie went to work with an engineering and environmental consulting firm as a soil scientist for five years. Later, she accepted a position with the  Department of Natural Resources in the Division of Agriculture as the Alaska Farm to School Coordinator. Jodie’s work at UAF afforded her many opportunities to travel to rural Alaska and develop collaborations and relationships with many teachers, growers, and communities.

Her personal and professional lives are interwoven as she loves what she does and throws herself into whatever she is doing 100%. This tapestry she weaves is based on her passion for the world around her, feeding people, and sharing with others: she is a soil scientist and a nerd to the core who is amazed daily by the world that surrounds her. Jodie not only feeds people by grilling and BBQing, she feeds others with laughter and science and is passionate about sharing all that brings joy with others.

Dr. Bill Schnabel began his appointment as CEM Dean in January 2019. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Institute of Northern Engineering, Director of the Water and Environmental Research Center, and also held positions as a research faculty member, an academic faculty member, and a private sector environmental engineer. Dr. Schnabel holds tenure as a Professor of Environmental Engineering in CEM’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research interests include food-energy-water system dynamics, arctic/subarctic infrastructure planning, cold-region hydrologic processes, and water quality. Dr. Schnabel earned a BS in Chemistry from Purdue University (1991), an MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Iowa (1996), and a PhD in Environmental Systems Engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (2000).

Dr. Hueffer received veterinary training in Germany followed by a PhD from Cornell University on Canine Parvovirus. After graduate school he furthered his molecular pathogenesis training at Yale Medical School. Since arriving at UAF in 2006, Dr. Hueffer has expanded his research interest to investigate infectious diseases in Alaskan wildlife with a special interest in zoonotic diseases and other One Health related issues as well as engagement of Alaska Native and rural students in research.

He has taught courses in the Departments of Biology & Wildlife and Veterinary Medicine, from large introductory courses to graduate and professional courses. He holds a post graduate certificate in veterinary education and has been internationally recognized for his teaching excellence. Together with Dr. Reynolds he leads the Biomedical and Student Learning (BLaST) a large mentoring program funded by NIH.
He currently serves as Associate Dean of Veterinary Medicine and leads professional veterinary program. He also is a Masters student in Arctic and Northern Studies Program art UAF.

Dr. Moran previously served as acting director of President Obama’s National Ocean Council and assistant director for ocean sciences in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2013-14) and as program director in the Chemical Oceanography Program at the National Science Foundation (2012-15). Before leaving for Washington in early 2012, he was professor of oceanography, co-director and co-principal investigator of the Rhode Island NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and served as assistant vice president for research administration at URI. He earned a doctorate in oceanography from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1990, and conducted his post-doctoral research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.

Dr. Richard Collins has been with the university since 1994 and has been Director of the Graduate School since July 2021. As the director, Collins leads the graduate school, and oversees graduate programs, and monitors the progress of ~900 graduate students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He also leads the graduate Interdisciplinary Studies program. His interests include the integration of research and teaching, and interdisciplinary research.

Before becoming Director, Dr. Collins was a professor of atmospheric sciences and served as Associate Director at the Geophysical Institute, where he established new research programs.  As a faculty member, Collins has studied the meteorology of the Arctic atmosphere. Working with UAF students, he has conducted various studies at Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) that employed rockets, laser radars, and radars. He has served as an advisor to 18 master and doctoral students. These studies have focused on understanding the circulation of the middle and upper atmosphere, dispersion of volcanic ash clouds, clouds and aerosols in the upper atmosphere, and forest fire smoke. Collis participated in one study of fish in the Gulf of Alaska. This work was conducted with support from both NASA, NSF, and DoD. Collins served as a faculty member in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Atmospheric Sciences, where he developed and taught laboratory courses in digital electronics and state-wide distance courses in weather and climate. Collins was a Fulbright fellow at the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics at Rostock University in 2006. He has served on national advisory boards for NASA and NSF. Collins received his Bachelor of Engineering from The National University of Ireland in 1986, his MS in Electrical Engineering from Case Western University in 1988, and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1993.

Dr. Lopez earned her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and her masters in Public Health from the University of Washington, Seattle.  Prior to joining UAF in 2009, Dr. Lopez was instrumental in establishing the University of Florida’s College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Lopez currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Psychology and Philosophy.  As a public health trained professional with expertise in community-based participatory research Lopez’ research, teaching, service, and leadership essentially engage community stakeholders in addressing priority concerns towards enhancing wellbeing, quality of life, social justice, and sustainability.

Carlson earned his Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies in security and disaster management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and his master’s in international relations from Webster University, St. Louis. Prior to joining UAF in 2003, Carlson devoted 25 years of active duty service in the U.S. Army, where he served in various leadership and staff roles. Carlson deployed extensively to the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Haiti and the Central Asian states, supporting humanitarian assistance, non-combatant evacuation, peacekeeping as well as operations supporting the Global War on Terrorism. In 2006, he retired from active duty service as a lieutenant colonel.

Ms. Jensen completed her BA in French at Grinnell College, Iowa, in 1986, and her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) at the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1996. She joined UAF as Library Assistant at the BioSciences Library, followed by a position as Circulation/Interlibrary Loan/Media Manager, from 1998-2006. After joining the Library Science faculty in 2006, she was subsequently tenured and promoted to the rank of Professor and became the Library Collection Development Officer, overseeing all aspects of management for all formats of library materials. She has served as President of the Alaska Library Association, Library Science Department Chair, and Co-chair of the Alaska Library Association statewide conference. Her current research interests include collections management, intellectual freedom, and library contributions to student success.

As dean for the School of Education, Vinlove is responsible for administration of all academic and administrative matters, and also focuses on promoting the college as an active participant in the area’s economic development.  

Vinlove has worked with the university’s elementary teacher preparation program since 1999 and is a lifelong Alaskan with eight years of K-12 public school teaching experience. She has been a National Board certified teacher since 2000.

Vinlove received a B.A. in education studies and public policy from Brown University (1992), an M.A. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado (1995), and a Ph.D. in education policy and reform through the UAF interdisciplinary Ph.D. program (2012).

Michelle Bartlett holds an undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and a MA from St. Louis University. She began her career at UAF in 1974 as coordinator of a child welfare-training grant within what was then known as the sociology/psychology department. Over the years, she has held a number of other administrative positions within UAF and the University of Alaska statewide system including director of the statewide Elderhostel program and dean of continuing education with what was then known as the Tanana Valley Community College. After working in the private sector for thirteen years, Bartlett returned to the university in 2003 as Director of Summer Sessions & Lifelong Learning.

Jenn is an educational psychologist who comes to UAF with experience teaching, mentoring graduate students, consulting and serving in administrative roles. She has focused on curriculum development and program management for 15 years and has served as the course and program manager at eCampus since June of 2020. 

Dr. Patrick Druckenmiller began his career at UAF as Earth Sciences Curator at the University of Alaska Museum in 2007 and was appointed as the museum director in July, 2018. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences. Dr. Druckenmiller received his BA in Botany from the University of Wisconsin Madison, his MS in Biology at Montana State University and his PhD in Zoology at the University of Calgary. Pat is a vertebrate paleontologist specializing in the study of Mesozoic marine reptiles and arctic dinosaurs from Alaska. Throughout his career he has worked at or with numerous museums including the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum (Madison), the Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, Montana), the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology (Drumheller, Alberta) and the University of Oslo Natural History (Norway).

Dr. Ginny Eckert is broadly trained in coastal ecology and coastal resource conservation science, with a MS from the University of Florida and a PhD from the University of California Santa Barbara. Dr. Eckert is the Director of Alaska Sea Grant and serves as a leader in the marine science community within Alaska, the west coast, and the US. Alaska has more coastline than the continental 48 states, and as such has significant challenges with marine debris, both in terms of the amount of coastline impacted and magnitude of marine debris. She has over two decades of experience as a professor of Fisheries at the University of Alaska. Her research focuses on issues of importance to coastal communities in Alaska, including conservation and management of top predators and sustainability of subsistence, sport and commercial fisheries.

Dr. Eckert brings a west coast, northern, and rural coastal community perspective to contribute to a well-rounded and collaborative working environment. A commitment to expanding opportunities remains a top priority in her career as seen in her work with Indigenous communities and as a mentor for high school, undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups to increase participation of these groups in science.

Dr. Eckert has 15 years of experience on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Crab Plan Team and works on a variety of fishery management issues, with a focus on commercially important crabs.  She also has 30 years of experience as coastal resource researcher, with a broad range of expertise, ranging from marine community ecology, ecology of fished marine invertebrates, socio-ecological systems, reproductive and larval biology of marine invertebrates, harmful algal blooms, equal access and belonging in science, conventional and Indigenous aquaculture, evolution of life histories, long-term ecological and environmental monitoring, and community-based and citizen science. She has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer reviewed journal articles and 13 technical reports.

Chantelle McGinness has developed a passion for institutional research through ten years of service to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the UA System. She earned a Master of Science in Statistics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2013 after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Southern Polytechnic State University in 2008. Prior to joining UAF, Chantelle also provided administrative services to two grant-funded programs promoting postsecondary success for minority students at Southern Polytechnic State University. 

Joanna joined International Student and Scholar Services (IPI) in January 2013 as the Senior Scholar Immigration Advisor and Lead. In this role, Joanna provides leadership to the IPI team responsible for supporting the international student and scholar community in pursuit of their academic, personal and professional goals. Further, Joanna serves as the Responsible Officer (RO) coordinating immigration services for J-1 students and scholars. She also serves as the Designated School Official (DSO) coordinating immigration services for F-1 students. Joanna also leads efforts in regards to ensuring IPI’s compliance with Department of Homeland Security reporting requirements and is the primary contact for employment related petitions.