Alaska Commissioner of Administration Sheldon Fisher has been appointed by Gov. Bill Walker to serve as commissioner of the Department of Revenue, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Randy Hoffbeck on Aug. 17.
Leslie Ridle, deputy commissioner of administration, will serve as interim commissioner of administration until the governor appoints a new commissioner of administration.
“As Alaska shifts off of reliance on volatile oil prices to pay for government services, revenue is of critical importance,” Walker said. “Sheldon is a natural fit for the state’s top revenue position. As commissioner of the Department of Administration, Sheldon shepherded a number of cost-reduction projects, including the initiative to streamline service.”
Prior to his appointment as commissioner of administration in 2014, Fisher was the chief operating officer at McKinley Capital Management LLC in Anchorage. Fisher also spent 15 years in the telecommunications industry, in the Lower 48 and in Alaska, including six years at Alaska Communications.
