Gov.-elect Spanberger announces secretary of labor appointment

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger announced the appointment of the next secretary of labor on Monday.

In the morning on Monday, Dec. 29, Spanberger announced that Jessica Looman will be the next secretary of labor.

According to Spanberger's office, Looman was appointed by Former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, leading the federal labor standards enforcement agency from 2021 to 2025.

"At the U.S. Department of Labor, Ms. Looman was entrusted with protecting the nation’s foundational federal labor standards laws for 165 million workers at 11 million workplaces nationwide," Spanberger's office said in a press release.

Looman also reportedly served as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, where she oversaw energy, insurance and financial institution regulation.

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Most recently, Spanberger's office said Looman served as a senior fellow with the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative, where she focused on developing best practices and supporting state and local governments in protecting workers’ rights, among other responsibilities.

"Ms. Looman has extensive experience supporting workers and fostering economic growth at the local, state, and federal levels," Spanberger said, in part. "As a proud member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, she understands how important it is to uphold workforce protections and prepare our citizens for both the jobs of today and tomorrow. As Secretary of Labor, Ms. Looman will drive my administration’s mission to equip Virginians with the skills and education they need to build steady, rewarding careers — and power Virginia’s economy into the future."

"I am honored to be nominated by Governor-elect Spanberger to serve as Virginia’s third Secretary of Labor and I look forward to working with the Commonwealth’s workforce protection and development agencies to improve economic opportunity and security for Virginia’s workers," Looman said in the press release. "I share Governor-elect Spanberger’s vision that both investing in the creation of good jobs and protecting workers are essential to sustaining the Commonwealth’s economic growth and shared prosperity."