(The Center Square) – Transparency is one of the goals of incoming Georgia Labor Commissioner Nikki Porcher, she told The Center Square in an interview.
Porcher, a Democrat, defeated Republican Bárbara Rivera Holmes in the Nov. 3 general election, winning nearly 55% of the vote to Rivera Holmes’ 45%, according to results from the Georgia Secretary of State.
Porcher, scheduled for oath of office on Jan. 11, will oversee a fiscal year 2027 budget of $99.6 million, including $87.2 million in federal and other funds and $12.4 million in state funding, according to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.
“I am very serious about making the Department of Labor a place where every Georgian feels like they can come in and get the help that they need, whether they’re looking for a job, they’re trying to find assistance for a job, find training, even if they’re like, ‘Hey, I don’t know if this is your department, but I need help with X,Y and Z’,” Porcher told The Center Square. “We want to make sure we’re having working relationships with other departments of the state. So when we implement our ‘no wrong door’ policy, we can truly say at the Department of Labor you never have a wrong door.”
Porcher takes over at a time when the Labor Department is overhauling its platform, which has not been updated since the 1980s, Rivera Holmes said in an October release.
The two have not met yet, Porcher told The Center Square.
“The commissioner looks forward to meeting with her, and our teams are coordinating the details,” said Shawna Mercer, chief communications officer for the Department of Labor, in a message to The Center Square when asked if the two had met. “Commissioner Rivera Holmes remains committed to ensuring a smooth transition, maintaining continuity of services for Georgians and building upon the significant progress achieved under her leadership, including UI Inspire, the largest unemployment insurance modernization initiative in Georgia’s history, scheduled to launch in spring 2027.”
Scheduled for launch in the spring, UI Inspire is the modern cloud-based unemployment insurance computer system being launched by the Georgia Department of Labor.
Porcher has never been elected to office but researched the role before deciding to run. She is an Air Force veteran, a former public school teacher and founder of a nonprofit, according to her website biography.
“When I would do my analysis against what this role entailed versus the skill sets I already have, because unfortunately, as women, we don’t ever think we can just do something; we have to analyze, see what we can do or see what other examples may transfer, so I did that,” Porcher said. “I’ve done all the things that a labor commissioner is supposed to do.”
Porcher reached out to Michael Thurmond, state labor commissioner from 1999 to 2011, and he is chairing her transition team. Porcher met Thurmond on the campaign trail when he was campaigning for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and he was always “No. 1” on her list of people to call if she gets elected, she said.
Porcher said she also wants to clarify the department’s terminology to make it easier to understand. She plans to host in-person and virtual town halls with Georgians once a week.
“When it comes to our data, we’re looking to see if we can get an outside team to examine what’s happening on the national level,” Porcher said. “We are responsible for helping with those numbers as well.”