Fisher named to Department of Revenue

Sheldon Fisher, the commissioner of the Department of Administration, was named to head the Department of Revenue Sept. 7. The transfer was immediate, with Deputy Commissioner of Administration Leslie Ridle serving as interim commissioner.

Fisher replaces Randy Hoffbeck, who retired Aug. 17.

“As Alaska shifts off of reliance on volatile oil prices to pay for government services, revenue is of critical importance,” Gov. Bill Walker said in a statement. “Sheldon is a natural fit for the state’s top revenue position.”

Walker said that as commissioner of the Department of Administration Fisher “shepherded a number of cost-reduction projects, including the initiative to streamline services.” The governor also noted Fisher’s 20 years of management experience in the private sector.

Fisher was appointed commissioner of Administration in December 2014.

Prior to that he was chief operating officer at McKinley Capital Management LLC in Anchorage, and spent 15 years in the telecommunications industry in the Lower 48 and Alaska, including six years at Alaska Communications where he was senior vice president of sales and product marketing. Prior to that he was an executive at Sprint Communications.

Fisher earned an economics degree from Brigham Young University and a law degree from Yale University. He and his wife Christine have seven children.

- Petroleum News