James_Nov-Dec_2025_web - Flipbook - Page 10
academy, where students grow produce for school
cafeterias while learning data analytics for smart agriculture; where they develop robots to support efforts
at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany; and where
high schoolers earn CNA credentials before graduation.
Watching them work taught me that the best investment isn’t in buildings— it’s in people. That belief guided my service on the Board of Regents of the University
System of Georgia, where I worked to expand opportunity, strengthen the classroom-to-career pipeline and
align education to the economy.
Making History, Building Futures
Being sworn in by Gov. Brian P. Kemp on April 4,
2025, as Georgia’s first Latina constitutional officer
was a moment I’ll never forget. This honor comes with
profound responsibility— to every worker who walks
through our doors, to every business owner trying to
grow, to every Georgian seeking dignity through meaningful work.
Within months, we launched the Georgia Department of Labor’s first-ever strategic plan. We’re making
headway on the largest unemployment insurance modernization in state history— work underway that will
transform how we serve Georgians when it launches in
late 2026. And our Red Tape Task Force is helping cut
burdensome regulations, streamline services and put
taxpayers first.
These efforts are amplified by the work happening at
the state level. Thanks to Gov. Brian Kemp’s leadership,
the General Assembly and workforce partners, Georgia
stands as the nation’s top state for business— 12 years
running. But we’re not resting on that legacy; we’re
proving we’re also a top state for talent. Economic development is a team sport, and every day, Team Georgia
shows up ready to win.
A Day in the Life
As Commissioner, no two days are the same.
A recent day began with a labor briefing— economic
data flowing across screens as my team and I studied
unemployment trends, labor force participation rates,
and industry growth patterns. By mid-morning, I was
walking a manufacturing floor, hard hat on, watching
skilled hands operate million-dollar equipment.
Early afternoon brought me to one of our 34 career
centers, where I met a veteran transitioning to civilian
work, a recent graduate eager to launch her career and a
displaced worker ready to retrain. Three different Georgians. Three different stories. One shared hope: A fresh
start. Watching our team help them find it— that’s the
honor of a lifetime.
By late afternoon, I was working with our leadership
team on strategic initiatives that will define GDOL’s
future and our ability to better serve Georgians for years
to come.
Why Vision and Work Matters
As someone with deep roots in rural Georgia and
shaped by years as an economic developer, I understand
what it means to build bridges— between education
and employment, between policy and people, between
where we are and where we’re going.
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Start by doing what is
necessary, then what is possible, and soon, you will
achieve the impossible.” That vision continues to guide
me forward.
Whether Georgia faces a manufacturing boom that
demands every skilled hand we can train or an economic downturn that sends families to our career centers
seeking hope— we’ll be there. When a second chance
citizen needs help reentering the workforce, we’re here
to support them through our Walking the Last Mile to
Reentry Program.
That’s the promise of GDOL: A steady presence in
uncertain times, a reliable partner in prosperous ones.
I still carry a notebook everywhere I go— just like I
did working the news beats 20 years ago. The pages are
fuller now, but the mission remains the same: Show up,
listen and do the hard work that keeps Georgia moving
forward.
Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes was born in San Juan,
the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and earned a bachelor’s degree
from Florida Southern University.
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