Bárbara Rivera Holmes reflects on her impact as Albany Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO; to serve as Georgia Labor Commissioner

ALBANY, Ga. – Earlier this week, we told you about an Albany city leader who is taking a position with Governor Brian Kemp’s administration.

CBS 44’s Brian Roche got to sit down with her one last time and talk about her impact on the City of Albany.

After more than a decade, longtime Albany Area Chamber of Commerce President, Bárbara Rivera Holmes is bidding farewell to the Good Life City…

To serve as the Georgia Labor Commissioner following the passing of previous Commissioner, Bruce Thompson, finishing out his term.

“I’m so honored and ready and excited for this role with the Georgia Department of Labor, and I’m grateful to Governor Kemp for the appointment. I want to confirm that I will be running for statewide office in 2026,” said Bárbara Rivera Holmes, outgoing President & CEO Albany Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC).

As president of the Albany Area Chamber, Holmes had her share of challenges in the community…

From major storms like Hurricane Michael… to the outbreak of Covid-19.

And… she believes that in the wake of those hardships, Albany’s business community is only getting stronger.

“What we’ve demonstrated during those instances and just during the last ten years is that we’re strong, we’re a strong partner, and we’re going to lead with trust and competency. Those things have enabled us to be able to move this organization forward and just move our community forward. Championing business success and overall community success,” said Holmes.

Her last day as Albany Area Chamber President is March 28th…

And… Bárbara gave us a small look into how she’s going to apply her experience at the state level.

“As labor commissioner, I’m going to build on my strengths in organizational transformation and efficiencies and building teams and moving projects, initiatives forward and working with strategic partners and decision makers on smart policy that create opportunities and prosperity for all Georgians,” said Holmes.

And… Bárbara just wants to say one thing to the people of the Good Life City after a decade of serving them through the Chamber of Commerce.

“I am so grateful to the Albany Area Chamber family and to our Albany Area Chamber community for the incredible support that they’ve demonstrated throughout my tenure here. The partnerships that we’ve built that have really allowed us to do the work that matters most for our businesses and for our citizens,” said Holmes.

The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC) has told us the board has not made a decision on a successor president at this time.

Brian Roche reporting.

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