Rivera Holmes replaces Bruce Thompson, a Republican and former state senator who was elected labor commissioner in 2022. He died in November from pancreatic cancer at age 59, eight months after he announced his diagnosis.

Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed Bárbara Rivera Holmes as Georgia’s new labor commissioner, filling the vacancy left by former Commissioner Bruce Thompson, who passed away last fall after a battle with cancer.

Bárbara Rivera Holmes, a business executive, will serve the remainder of Thompson’s four-year term until early 2027.