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Cameron Carlson

Crystal Hill-Pennington

CRYSTAL HILL-PENNINGTON, JD, Ph.D (in-progress)


208A Bunnell Building
(907) 474-5488
cdhillpennington@alaska.edu

  • College of Business and Security Management, University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
  • Collaborative Faulty, Center for Cross-Cultural Studies UAF
  • Adjunct Instructor, College of Indigenous Studies UAF
  • National Lead Instructor, DHS/FEMA Advanced Academies
  • Member, Center for Arctic Security and Resilience

 

Crystal Hill-Pennington is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner whose work spans Indigenous rights and sovereignty, law and policy, and national and human security in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic contexts. She holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Mitchell Hamline School of Law with a focus on Native American Law & Sovereignty, a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Eastern Oregon University, and is advancing her Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Sustainability at UAF focused on strengthening national security and Indigenous sovereignty in the context of International and Arctic laws and resources. She currently teaches in the College of Business and Security Management at UAF and is collaborative faculty with the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies and College of Indigenous Studies at UAF where she teaches courses in Indigenous law and governance. She is also co-author and a national lead instructor for federal U.S. advanced professional academies.

At CASR, Crystal Hill-Pennington contributes expertise at the interface of Indigenous legal traditions and sovereignty, human security, and security policy. Her current research engages how recognition of Indigenous sovereignty and rights can fortify law-and-policy frameworks underpinning human, environmental and national security in the Circumpolar North. She frequently guest lectures and actively advises Tribes, academic institutions, federal and state agencies, and Congressional committees on federal legislation, strategic policy, and intergovernmental engagement.

She is committed to advancing CASR’s mission of leading strategic and operational Arctic-related national security and resilience efforts. Through her work, she bridges legal, policy and governance domains with Indigenous rights, security and resilience education, and outreach.


Education

  • Ph.D. (in progress) Natural Resources and Sustainability, University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Juris Doctor (J.D.), Mitchell Hamline School of Law
  • B.S. Economics, Eastern Oregon University

 

Recent Presentations and Related Scholarly Activities

Native American & Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) Annual Meeting (Oklahoma City, OK) (2025)

  • Panel Presentation: 21st Century Trajectories Across Indigenous Alaska: Alaska Native Governance, Policy, and Higher Education

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians – Annual Convention (Suquamish, WA) (2025)

  • Presentation: Tribal Definitions Across Federal Homeland Security and Emergency Management Law: Authority, Eligibility, Pending Legislation, and Implications for Sovereignty

Arctic Council Emergency Management Inaugural Conference (Bodø, Norway) (2025)

  • Presentation (Co-Presenter): Arctic Disaster Denied: The 2023 Denial of Disaster Assistance to the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope; Indigenous Sovereignty and Legal Frameworks of Disasters

Arctic Climate Summit (Jointly Sponsored by UAF Center for Arctic Security and Resilience, Naval Postgraduate School, and DHS/FEMA) (Fairbanks, AK) (2024)

  • Conference Organizer/Contact
  • Presentation: Protocols and Laws for Human Security in Alaska Native Communities

National Science Foundation. Navigating the New Arctic Community program (Hosted by Alaska Pacific University; Anchorage, AK) – Graduate Research Ethics: Exploring the Foundations of Collaborative, Community, and Indigenous-centered Arctic Research

  • Protocol and Informed Consent over Consultation: Navigating Ethics and Indigenous Spaces for Researchers and Professionals in the Arctic (2024)
  • Indigenous Cultural Protection Law, History, and Cultural Competence for Arctic Researchers (2023)

University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) (Anchorage, AK) – Master of Social Work Program

  • Tribal Sovereignty and Social Work (2023)

Public Policy Development, Intergovernmental Coordination and Relations, Community Engagement: Presentations and Group Facilitation

  • Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (2025)
  • Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California (with State of Nevada and Quad Counties) (2025)
  • San Manuel Band of Mission Indians (2022)
  • Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community (with State of Arizona) (2018)
  • Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation (with State of California) (2017)
  • Shivwitz Band of Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (with St. George, Utah) (2016)
  • States of: California, Colorado, Commonwealth of Virginia, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Florida, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Utah (2013-2025)

 

Current Research

Dr. Hill-Pennington’s current Ph.D. research focuses on blending legal scholarship, policy design, and mixed-methods inquiry to analyze how international legal and governance structures can better support Indigenous priorities, and national and regional stability.

Current Research Inquiry: How do Indigenous Nations and Nation-States apply international environmental and maritime laws such as UNCLOS, the BBNJ Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol, Access and Benefit Sharing, and UNDRIP, to strengthen both sustainability and security in the Arctic through geopolitical cooperation.


Recent Courses Instructed

  • ANS/PS 325: Alaska Native and Comparative Tribal Self-Government
  • ANS/PS 425: Federal Indian Law and Alaska Natives
  • BA 151X: Introduction to Business
  • BA 330: Legal Environment of Business (Tribal law components included)
  • BA 317: Employment Law (Tribal law components included)
  • BA 489: Public Sector Labor Relations
  • CCS 602: Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights
  • ECON 101X: Principles of Microeconomics
  • HSEM/ACCT 271: Fiscal Management for Emergency Operations
  • HSEM 445: Business Continuity and Crisis Management
  • HSEM 461: Human Security in Alaska (Alaska Native-Themed)
  • HSEM 601: Legal Aspects of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Licenses and Professional Societies

  • Licensed Attorney — States of Alaska, Washington, and District of Columbia, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the Federal Bar
  • Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
  • American Bar Association
  • National Native American Bar Association
  • Northwest Indian Bar Association
  • King County Bar Association
  • Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity