Bob Loeffler is a half-time Research Professor of Public Policy at the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research, a position he has held for almost the last 14 years.  He holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a Master’s Degree in Regional Planning from Harvard University.   He is also a partner in Jade North LLC, a small Alaskan consulting firm, and specializes in working with mining and other natural resource issues.  His clients include industry, government, native groups, and non-profits.  For much of his early career, he worked at the Department of Natural Resources including seven years as the Director of the Alaska Division of Mining, Land and Water.