Dr. Edgar Omegitjoak Blatchford, J.D., Ph.D., MPA, MS

One of America’s Most Educated Native Scholars | Global Expert on Indigenous Governance & Policy

Alaska Native Leader

Dr. Edgar Blatchford is an Inupiaq and Yup’ik scholar, former mayor, journalist, public servant, and professor whose career spans more than four decades across higher education, public policy, and Alaska Native affairs. Born in Nome and raised in Seward, he is a first-generation college graduate who went on to earn seven academic degrees, including graduate credentials from Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and a Ph.D. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

A lifelong learner and educator, Dr. Blatchford has taught on and off at the University of Alaska Anchorage since 1995, shaping thousands of students in journalism, public policy, U.S. government, Alaska Native politics, and Indigenous studies. He is nationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities on Alaska Native Corporations, tribal governance, rural development, and Native rights, having testified before Congress, led major state agencies, and published extensively on Indigenous self-determination.

Across his public, private, and academic work, Dr. Blatchford has remained singularly committed to one mission: strengthening Indigenous communities through education, governance, economic opportunity, and ethical leadership. This lifelong commitment is rooted in deep cultural heritage, intellectual rigor, and a career dedicated to service.