About Us
Staff
Secretary of Labor
Jessica K. Looman
The Honorable Jessica K. Looman brings extensive national experience leading agencies and organizations focused on protecting workers, expanding economic security, and advancing workforce development initiatives to the Commonwealth of Virginia. She looks forward to implementing Governor Spanberger’s vision of growing an economy that will continue to ensure Virginia is a place for business to be able to create good jobs and where we value every single Virginian that works hard every day.
Ms. Looman was appointed by President 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. Her leadership prioritized strategic enforcement of minimum wage and overtime protections for low-wage and vulnerable workers, combating child labor exploitation, addressing the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, preventing retaliation against workers, and modernizing the administration of the federal Davis-Bacon construction prevailing wage program.
Ms. Looman also served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, overseeing energy, insurance, and financial institution regulation. She previously served as Deputy Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, where she was responsible for the strategic coordination of the agency’s five worker protection divisions.
Most recently, Ms. Looman has served as a Senior Fellow with the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative, focused on developing best practices and supporting state and local governments in protecting workers’ rights, providing guidance on strategic enforcement, child labor, proactive compliance efforts, and building interstate collaboration among enforcement agencies. Ms. Looman also served as Executive Director of the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council, and is a 30-year member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA).
Deputy Secretary of Labor
Patricia Davidson
Patricia “Patty” Davidson has more than three decades of senior leadership experience at the U.S. Department of Labor and now at the Commonwealth. Patty began her career in 1987 with the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and progressed through a series of district, regional, and national management roles focused on strategic enforcement and compliance. Patty has served in several key positions, including Director of WHD’s Division of Enforcement Strategy and Support, Deputy Administrator for Program Operations, and Deputy Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Before joining the Secretary of Labor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, she served as WHD’s Deputy Administrator, where she
helped lead national enforcement strategy and organizational strengthening efforts that protected 165 million workers at over 11 million workplaces nationwide. She has a deep commitment to public service and a strong record as an experienced, ethical, and transitional government leader. Patty has lived in Virginia since 2010 and is excited that she and her husband will join their daughter in Richmond.
Chief of Staff
Sejal Singh
Sejal Singh serves as a Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Labor. In this role, she helps to lead the Secretariat’s legislative, regulatory, and policy work, with a special focus on implementing paid family medical leave, preventing wage theft, leveling the playing field for law-abiding businesses, and strengthening protections for working families.
Prior to joining the Secretariat of Labor, Sejal served as an attorney in the United States Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor, where her work focused on wage theft enforcement, prevailing wage, and leveraging federal dollars to create and sustain good jobs. She also previously worked as an attorney at James & Hoffman, PC, where she represented federal workers who were unlawfully terminated in 2025. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Justice Catalyst Fellow at Public Citizen Litigation Group; as a Policy Fellow for Senator Elizabeth Warren; and at the Center for American Progress.
Sejal graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University. After graduating law school, she clerked for Judge Diane P. Wood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Executive Assistant
Brynne Smith
Brynne currently serves as the Executive Assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Labor. She is a lifelong Virginian and a recent graduate of Christopher Newport University, where she studied Leadership and Psychology. Following her graduation, Brynne began working as a Finance Associate on the Spanberger for Governor campaign and continued in that role through the planning of Governor Spanberger’s Inauguration.
Assistant Secretary
Asif R. Bhavnagri
Asif R. Bhavnagri serves as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he helps advance efforts to strengthen the workforce, expand opportunity, and support workers, families, and employers across the Commonwealth. He brings more than 15 years of experience in state and local government, with a career focused on public policy, economic and workforce development, legislative affairs, and government operations.
Before joining the Secretariat of Labor, Asif held senior leadership roles with the City of Richmond and previously served in several positions in the Office of the Governor, including Assistant Secretary of Administration. Across these roles, he has worked closely with public officials, agency leaders, businesses, and community partners to solve complex challenges and improve outcomes for Virginians. A proud graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Asif is deeply committed to public service and to helping build a Commonwealth where more people have the opportunity to succeed.
