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Brittany Smart honored by national defense communities group

April 21, 2025

Brittany Smart of the University of ���Ϻ�����Ƶ Fairbanks has received a national honor from the Association of Defense Communities for her work advocating for the Fairbanks area and its military personnel.

Smart is one of just three 2024-2025 recipients of the national honor. She served as senior adviser for defense, community and research in the office of the ���Ϻ�����Ƶ vice chancellor for research and now holds that position at the Geophysical Institute.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be recognized as a National Defense Community Champion by the ,” Smart wrote on social media. “This recognition means so much to me — not just as an individual but as part of a broader effort to strengthen the connections between our military installations, service members and the communities that support them.”

The Association of Defense Communities is a national organization that supports communities and regions across the United States that host military installations. It serves as a bridge between local leaders, the Department of Defense and private partners.

Smart, in her acceptance remarks at the Defense Communities National Summit in Virginia on April 1, thanked ���Ϻ�����Ƶ for providing the opportunity to build on work she did at the Fairbanks North Star Borough, where she worked seven years as a special assistant to the mayor for economic development and military affairs.

“This is a shared effort, and I’m proud to be part of it,” she said.

The Fairbanks borough is home to Eielson Air Force Base and the Army’s Fort Wainwright.

Smart, who serves on the Association of Defense Communities’ Federal Outreach and Advisory Committee, was honored for her work in a variety of areas.

“Smart led crucial initiatives, including military housing summits which resulted in more than 100 new housing units for the F-35 bed-down at Eielson AFB,” the award announcement reads. 

Other cited successes include securing grants to modernize critical infrastructure plans for roads, land use and recreation to enhance quality of life for families. The organization also noted her founding of the annual ���Ϻ�����Ƶ Defense Forum in Fairbanks.

“Brittany draws from her experience of moving from Hawaii to ���Ϻ�����Ƶ to help military families adapt to the unique Arctic Climate, ensuring their involvement becomes a positive adventure supported by a welcoming community,” the announcement reads. “Her work bridges gaps between local government, military installations, and academia, creating actionable solutions for ���Ϻ�����Ƶ’s defense community.”

Smart, in her social media post, said the award has broader significance.

“This recognition is not just about me — it’s about all of us working together to ensure our service members, installations, and missions have the support they need to thrive,” she wrote. “I’m proud to be part of this incredible community, and I look forward to continuing this important work.”

You can hear more from Smart in from the Association of Defense Communities.