Mead Treadwell, recognized as one of the world’s Arctic policy experts, was elected as Alaska’s Lieutenant Governor in November, 2010. In this role, Lt. Governor Treadwell is committed to strengthening Alaska’s economy by filling the Trans Alaska Pipeline, building a gas pipeline, and bringing affordable energy to Alaskans.
Mr. Treadwell was appointed to the United States Arctic Research Commission by President George W. Bush in 2001 and designated by the President as the Commission’s chair in 2006. Under his leadership, a new United States Arctic Policy was developed and adopted by President Bush and is now being implemented by the current administration. Treadwell resigned from the Commission in June, 2010, after he filed to run for Lieutenant Governor.
Treadwell also recently resigned as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Venture Ad Astra, an Anchorage company which invests in and develops new geospatial and imaging technologies. He helped launch a series of technology, manufacturing and service companies, two of which – Digimarc and Emberclear – trade on public stock exchanges.
Mr. Treadwell first came to Alaska as a teenager in 1974 and worked as a volunteer intern in Wally Hickel’s office. It was the beginning of a friendship that lasted for 38 years. After graduating from Yale, Treadwell moved to Alaska in 1978 and became an award-winning political reporter for The Anchorage Times. In 1982, after completing his MBA at Harvard, Treadwell joined former Governors Hickel and Bill Egan as founders of the Yukon Pacific Corporation, which started the all Alaska gas pipeline project.
During the Exxon Valdez oil spill crisis, Treadwell served as the City of Cordova’s Director of Spill Response. He worked with Cordova citizens and Alaska’s congressional delegation to launch the Prince William Sound Science Center, home of the Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute. He also worked with Southcental coastal communities, Congress, and the oil industry to create the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Committee.
During Governor Hickel’s second term, Mr. Treadwell served as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Treadwell helped write Alaska’s new environmental protection regulations and established the environmental crime unit for the state. He represented Alaska on U.S. delegations, which established the eight nation Arctic Council, and supported Governor Hickel’s establishment of the Northern Forum.
Over the years, Mr. Treadwell has held leadership positions in a wide range of policy, professional, public service, governmental and international organizations, including the Alaska World Affairs Council, the Japan America Society of Alaska, and the Visual Arts Center of Alaska. As a founder of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce Siberian Gateway Project, he worked to open the Alaska-Russia border in 1988. In memory of his late wife, he served as president of the Millennium Society, an international charity that has established a series of scholarships in science education for young Alaskans.
