[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 170 (Tuesday, October 17, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                    TRIBUTE TO BARBARA RIVERA HOLMES

 Mr. OSSOFF. Mr. President, I rise to commend Barbara Rivera 
Holmes for her dedicated service to Southwest Georgia's economic 
development and small business community. Ms. Rivera Holmes serves as 
president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the 
chamber's foundation. For over two decades, she has dedicated her work 
to the people of Southwest Georgia, first working as a reporter at the 
Albany Herald and ``Southwest Georgia Living'' before joining Albany-
Dougherty County's economic development commission. In 2015, she took 
over as interim president and CEO of the chamber, becoming its 
permanent leader in August 2016.
  Founded in 1910, the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce works to 
represent the interests of Southwest Georgia's business community on 
the local, State, and Federal levels, unlocking economic opportunities 
and growing the local economy. Under Ms. Rivera Holmes' leadership, the 
Albany area chamber has undertaken new, creative initiatives aimed at 
driving economic development and helping small businesses thrive, 
including launching a public-private partnership aimed at helping 
unemployed rural residents start their own businesses.
  Most recently, Ms. Rivera Holmes graduated from the Institute for 
Organization Management, the professional development program of the 
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, demonstrating her continued commitment to 
better represent the local chamber and serving her community--and I 
congratulate her on this achievement.
  As Georgia's U.S. Senator, I commend Albany Area Chamber of Commerce 
president and CEO Barbara Rivera Holmes for her career of service to 
Southwest Georgia's business community.

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