Frances Ann "Fran" Ulmer (born February 1, 1947) is an American administrator and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Alaska.

In 2007 she became the Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), before serving as Chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission between 2011 and 2020, appointed by President Barack Obama.

She served as mayor of Juneau from 1983 to 1985 and was in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1987 to 1994 as a Democrat, where she sponsored and won approval of legislation concerning criminal justice, education, public administration, health, and transportation.

[4] In that post, she became a nationally recognized leader in election reform and making government more efficient and accessible through telecommunications.

In June 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Ulmer to the seven-member National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.

The commission was charged with investigating the causes of the explosion and oil spill and recommending changes to prevent future disasters.

In July 2014, Ulmer was appointed a special advisor to John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, on arctic issues.

[11] On November 10, 2020, Randy "Church" Kee, a retired major general of the United States Air Force, was appointed to the position previously assigned to Ulmer.