Jessica Looman was appointed as the Principal Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division on January 20, 2023. WHD enforces worker protections and provides outreach and education about federal labor laws including minimum wage, overtime, child labor, and family and medical leave for 143 million workers and nearly ten million employers nationwide.
Before joining WHD, Jessica served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council, where she advocated to expand construction career pathways, protected the physical and financial health of union construction workers, and increased private and public investment in construction infrastructure.
Before joining the Building Trades, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Jessica to serve as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. She also served as the Deputy Commissioner and the Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry where she oversaw the strategic coordination of DLI’s five divisions. She has previously served as the General Counsel of the Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Jessica is a graduate of George Washington University and the University of Minnesota Law School. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband and two sons.