Strategically essential.
Geologically rich.
Ready to launch.
About ACMA
Mission: Increase domestic critical mineral production through innovation, cost-reducing technologies, and more efficient methods that enable scalable economic participation for all Alaskans.
Vision: Catalyze Alaska’s world-class critical mineral innovation ecosystem—driven by cutting-edge research and commercialization—to secure national supply chains, position the U.S. as a global leader, and create jobs.
Meet Our Team
Lee Ann Munk
CEO/PI
NSF Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine in Alaska
Dr. Lee Ann Munk, Director of the ACMC, is an entrepreneurial leader at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. She has over two decades of experience leading research teams across industry-academia-government coalitions in North and South America. Her expertise is in the exploration of critical mineral deposits, their formation, and environmental aspects of their extraction and production, including copper, lithium, and REEs. Her team is a global leader in addressing technical gaps identified by the mining industry through applications of novel research and development, and generating innovative solutions at the production scale and to derisk projects. She has a consistent record of industry and government-funded projects and over 50 scientific publications. She is a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists, the Geological Society of America, and the International Lithium Association.
Steven Masterman
CO-PI / Interim Directory R&D
Deputy Director, UAF ACMC
Steven Masterman, Deputy Director of the ACMC, is a nationally respected geoscience leader with decades of experience spanning the mining industry, Alaska’s infrastructure sector, and the Alaska state geological survey. As Alaska’s former State Geologist and Chief Science Officer and a past President of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), Masterman brings deep technical credibility and strategic leadership to Alaska’s critical minerals agenda. He has chaired statewide geospatial coordination efforts, served as Director of the Alaska Miners Association, and has advised numerous boards and commissions focused on resource development, infrastructure, and public policy. His expertise includes economic and engineering geology, Alaska’s mineral deposits, and the practical application of geoscience to accelerate responsible exploration and development.
Christi Bell
COO
NSF Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine in Alaska
Christi Bell, Strategy and Innovation Officer of the ACMC, brings over three decades of experience in economic development, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships across Alaska. She previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the UAA Business Enterprise Institute, leading statewide programs including the Alaska SBDC, APEX Accelerator, Center for Economic Development, and Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Christi has helped launch and scale initiatives such as Lemonade Day Alaska, AK SourceLink, and the UA/APU Business Plan Competition, and has worked closely with Alaska Native Corporations, industry, and federal partners to advance economic diversification and workforce initiatives. She holds a CEcD from the International Economic Development Council, and an MBA and an M.S. in resource management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Lance Miller
Co-PI/Advisory Board Chair
Vice President of Natural Resources,
NANA Regional Corporation
Lance Miller, Vice President of Natural Resources for NANA Regional Corporation, helps guide NANA through responsible resource development and grow the corporation to meet the present and future needs of NANA shareholders.
Miller has worked for over 30 years in the minerals industry throughout North America from Mexico to the Canadian and U.S. Arctic, in Asia, Russia and Africa. Miller has also worked in the economic development sector leading a technology transfer, entrepreneurial/business development organization.
He is Board President of the Resource Development Council, Member of the Council of Alaska Producers, past chairman of the Alaska Minerals Commission and is on the University of Alaska Anchorage Geosciences Community advisory board as well as a mentor for Covenant House.
Miller has authored and co-authored over 25 scientific publications and holds a Ph.D. in economic and structural geology from the University of Arizona, an M.S. in economic geology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a B.S. in geology from Stanford University.
Liz Dennett
Co-PI/Sr. Advisor R&D and Innovation
Founder and CEO, Endolith Mining
Liz Dennett, Ph.D., is a passionate technologist and entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience pioneering innovative data-driven solutions in the biotech and energy industries. She has a proven track record of integrating genomics, biotechnology, and cloud-first engineering to create commercial solutions that address pressing sustainability challenges.
Currently, Liz serves as the CEO of Endolith, where she leads a dedicated team in exploring the potential of microbes and synthetic biology to revolutionize sustainable mining practices. Liz is also the CTO of Cemvita where she is leading the development and deployment of nature-inspired biosolutions to enable the transition to a carbon-neutral future.
Prior to joining Cemvita, Liz was VP of Data Architecture and Data Engineering at Wood Mackenzie, the Lead Solutions Architect for Energy Data Platforms at Amazon Web Services (AWS), and has previously held roles of increasing scope and complexity within Wood Mackenzie Amazon Web Services (AWS), Biota Technology, Hess Corporation, and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Liz currently holds an advisory board position with the UW-Madison Dept. of Geoscience.
With expertise in developing technology strategy and data platforms, Liz has extensive experience creating and delivering novel technology visions. As AWS Lead Solutions Architect, she led the AWS Implementation of the OSDU Data Platform, an international open-source initiative spanning industry, academia, and governmental entities. As VP of Data Architecture at Wood Mackenzie, Liz slayed data silos through the company’s robust data and analytics products to help transform how they delivered value to energy customers globally. Within her time at Biota Technology, she led the scale up and commercialization of subsurface genomics for energy customers.
Liz’s entrepreneurial spirit and technological expertise have earned her numerous accolades, including being named #13 in the “Top 50 Women Leaders in Houston” in 2022. As a recognized domain expert and technology evangelist, she has given over 100 invited presentations and has written over a dozen academic and industry publications, and was the host of the Horizons podcast, a candid perspective on the Energy Transition. Liz has also provided technical subject matter expertise to help guide and shape renewable energy strategy and investment with Amazon Climate Pledge teams.
Liz holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in geoscience from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has completed executive education at the Haas School of Business. Liz’s passions include building things, board games, and stubbornly refusing to believe things are “hard.”