Jessica Holmes

Prior to being sworn in as state auditor in December 2023, Jessica N. Holmes served as a deputy commissioner on the N.C. Industrial Commission. From 2014 to 2020, she served on the Wake County Board of Commissioners, overseeing a $1.5 billion budget. She was twice elected commission chair.

A native of Pender County, Holmes is an attorney and has specialized in public schools and education, workers’ compensation, and labor and employment law. She previously represented North Carolina teachers as an attorney for the N.C. Association of Educators.

Holmes is a board member and former chair of the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children. She also served on the board of directors for both the N.C. Association of County Commissioners and Wake County Smart Start and as an adjunct professor in social work and law at NC State University.

Holmes earned her bachelor’s and juris doctor degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC School of Law, respectively.