In her new position, Holmes became the first woman of color to ever serve on the Council of State, the ten-member board of elected officials who oversee and implement NC’s laws and regulations.
At a recent appearance in Asheville, Holmes discussed her childhood in Pender County, a rural area of eastern NC just north of Wilmington. She attended local schools throughout her primary, elementary, and high school years. Her grandmother, who had not had the opportunity to finish high school, constantly fed her things to read and study, especially when, as a child, Jessica said she didn’t have any homework to do. That early emphasis on reading and learning established a solid basis for her future.
Teachers Helped Shape Her Future
Another memory Jessica shared of her high school years was of her drama teacher—whose hair was dyed pink on one side and left natural on the other—lifting Jessica’s chin up high and urging her to speak with self-confidence and strength. That experience helped shape her into the self-assured and accomplished woman she was to become.
After graduation, she earned her Bachelor of Arts at UNC Chapel Hill and her law degree (Juris Doctor) from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Law, where, respectively, she has been named a Distinguished Young Alumni and Outstanding Recent Graduate. Following law school, Ms. Holmes became an active member of the Young Democrats of North Carolina and served on the Board of Directors of the Wake County Young Democrats.
Legal and Nonprofit Service
As a practicing attorney, Holmes spent the majority of her legal career focusing on labor and employment law and workers’ rights, and she has served as an adjunct professor at the NC State University Department of Social Work in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Among other positions Jessica Holmes has held, she has served on the Boards of Directors of the NC…
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