The President & CEO of the Albany Chamber of Commerce has been named Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) by Gov. Brian Kemp. Bárbara Rivera Holmes will serve the remainder of the term won by Bruce Thompson in 2022, who died in November.
Previously, she served as Vice President of the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission (ADEDC), overseeing the development of its brand, marketing campaigns, and its successful business retention and expansion program which facilitates existing industry job creation and capital investment in Albany-Dougherty County.
Prior to her work at the ADEDC, the San Juan, Puerto Rico native was the senior business writer with The Albany Herald. In 2018, she was appointed by then-Gov. Nathan Deal to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and earlier this year, Gov. Kemp appointed Holmes to the House Rural Development Council.