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Rules committee advances Heather Jordan to full-Senate confirmation for Workers' Compensation director
Summary
The committee moved Heather Jordan’s appointment as director of the Workers’ Compensation Administration to the full Senate following testimony from the nominee and organized supporters, discussion of modernization and staffing, and a roll-call vote in subcommittee.
Senator Stefanik introduced Heather Jordan as the governor’s appointee to lead the Workers’ Compensation Administration (WCA). Jordan described a career in public service that includes time at Bernalillo County and more than eight years with the WCA, most recently serving as executive deputy director and working on modernization of case management systems.
Jordan told the subcommittee she would prioritize outreach, modernization and improving processes so staff can work more efficiently. She said, “One of my biggest efforts is to bolster outreach and include the bureaus within our agency that have not been typically involved in outreach efforts.” Jordan described a modernization project to replace siloed databases with an agency-wide case management system and said it will improve information sharing with built-in workflows.
Several agency colleagues and stakeholders spoke in organized support. Michael Holt, general counsel for the WCA, told the committee Jordan is “battle tested” and “cool under pressure,” and Lee Martinez, a recently retired deputy director at WCA, recommended confirmation and praised Jordan’s knowledge of both regulatory and court functions. Amy Suman, superintendent and co-chair of the regional CTE alliance (joining by Zoom), called Jordan’s record and equity focus “a gem.”
Committee members asked about field-office staffing, vacancy rates, ombudsman coverage and agency revenue. Jordan said the agency’s vacancy rate is about 13% but added that field offices are prioritized for staffing; she said six field offices each have an ombudsman and the Albuquerque office has two. On revenue, Jordan and supporters said the WCA does not receive general fund support and that the agency is considering a future proposal to increase its assessment fee to sustain operations.
Senator Bergman moved to send Jordan’s nomination to a full Senate hearing. A subcommittee roll call recorded yes votes from Senators Bergman, Brantley, Gallegos, Townsend, Jaramillo and Duhigg; Senators Block and Stewart were recorded as excused. The committee vote will move Jordan’s nomination to a full-Senate confirmation hearing.
Jordan leaves the hearing having described modernization of case management, continued outreach to employers and workers, and attention to field-office staffing and statutory clarifications she said she will review with general counsel.
