Born in New York City, Commissioner Lisankie settled in Alaska in 1982 after his discharge from active duty as a Lieutenant in the U. S. Coast Guard. He holds a B.A. Degree in Economics conferred with honors and departmental distinction by Rutgers University and a J.D. Degree in Law from Duke University. He is a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon international honor society in economics.

Commissioner Lisankie was admitted to the practice of law in Alaska in 1985 and focused on administrative law. As staff counsel for the non-profit Alaska Consumer Advocacy Program he represented consumers before the former Alaska Public Utilities Commission. Commissioner Lisankie has over twenty years of state service in the Department of Law as an Assistant Attorney General and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development as a Hearing Officer, Chief of Adjudications, and finally Director of the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

Between 1987 and 1989 Commissioner Lisankie served on the board of directors of Chugach Electric Association, Inc. He has lived in Kodiak, Juneau, and Anchorage. He was first appointed to the Commission by Governor Sarah Palin on March 2, 2009.