I didn’t arrive at this moment by accident. My path here was shaped by the many roles I’ve lived in Georgia’s workforce, roles that gave me a front-row seat to how our systems actually function for everyday people.

I’ve lived many lives:

• I’ve been a veteran navigating my transition out of service without clear guidance.

• I’ve been a teacher stretching my paycheck to feed both my son and hungry students.

• I’ve been a single mom who learned how to make one paycheck do the work of three.

• I’ve been unemployed and forced to navigate a confusing, outdated process just to survive.

• I’ve been an employee, an employer, and a business owner who had to build opportunity from scratch because none was offered.

These experiences didn’t break me, they informed me. They taught me how systems feel from the inside. They showed me where the gaps are. And they shaped how I approach solutions.

Why Now: What Changed for Me

For years, I did this work from the outside. I led a nonprofit focused on Black women business owners, taught classes, and helped people navigate systems that weren’t built for them.

Then I sat with Project 2025.

I didn’t just skim it, I read it in depth. I held classes to help people understand what it meant for their lives, their businesses, and their futures. And the more I studied it, the clearer it became that policies and plans like this don’t just live on paper. They show up in paychecks, in workplaces, in who gets hired, who gets protected, and who gets left behind.

I realized that if people who understand the impact of these decisions aren’t in the room, the people I care about most will carry the consequences. And I also realized that at some point, advocacy isn’t enough, you have to step into the place where the rules are written. That’s why I chose this office and this moment.

What I Built From Challenging Experiences

Out of all the challenges I’ve encountered, I built something real and measurable. I founded and grew a national nonprofit that has generated over $6.2 million in documented economic impact for Black women business owners in just the last five years — and that number doesn’t reflect the full extent of our impact. That’s simply what we were able to track on paper. The real impact is larger: sales, contracts, opportunities, visibility, and stability that don’t always show up in a report.

My work created programs, training, grants, and opportunities that changed economic outcomes for women across the country. It led to global partnerships with companies like Google, H&M, Goldman Sachs, PayPal, and Mastercard, to name a few, partnerships earned through results, not connections.

And when a global partnership no longer aligned with the community I was serving, I walked away. Because my community will always matter more than a logo or a headline. That’s how I make decisions: people first, always.

My Leadership Has Been Recognized — Because the Impact Was Real

I don’t lead for awards, but I won’t pretend they don’t matter. They are proof that my work reached people. Over the years, my work has been recognized with honors like:

• Thought Leader of the Year – twice

• Woman of the Year – Government or Non-Profit

• Achievement in Diversity & Inclusion

• Female Social Activist of the Year

• Organization of the Year – Government or Non-Profit

• Event of the Year

I’ve also conducted and published research on the impact of DEI on business closures, research that has won awards and been cited by institutions and leaders trying to understand why equity isn’t a nice-to-have, but a key part of economic survival.

These aren’t just lines on a resume. They’re confirmation that the work I’ve been doing — often without a title or a budget — is real, effective, and needed.

Why This Office Matters to Me

Through all of my experiences, I learned one thing clearly: Our systems don’t fail because people aren’t trying, they fail because they weren’t designed for regular people to succeed.

I understand these systems because I’ve had to live in them. I’ve had to navigate them for myself and for others. And when they didn’t work, I built alternatives that did. These lived experiences, combined with the systems I’ve built and the impact I’ve had, shape the perspective that I bring to this office.

My Honest Truth

What brings me to this moment isn’t perfection. It’s preparation. It’s perspective. It’s lived experience turned into leadership.

I know hard things. I know community. I know what it takes to build something that serves people, not just processes.

I’ve done this work without a state budget, without a government office, and without the power of a statewide platform. Now I’m ready to do it with all of these things in service to the people of Georgia.

Join This Movement

If you read this and thought, “This feels familiar,” or “This sounds like my story too,” then you’re exactly who I’m thinking about with this work.

Georgia deserves a Labor Commissioner who understands the system because she’s lived in it, and who has a track record of building programs, partnerships, and opportunities that actually work for people. So if you believe in this mission, I’m asking you to invest in it.

It takes resources to compete in a race like this. It takes investment to put someone with real lived experience and real results in a position that has real power.

Chip in $25, $50, $100, $250, or $1,000 to Porcher for Georgia. Every contribution helps us reach more voters, tell the truth about this system, and build a Georgia where work works for everyone.

Donate now and help build the Georgia we all deserve.