Governor Jim Pillen Appoints Interim Commissioner of NDOL

LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Katie Thurber as the interim commissioner for the Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL). Thurber’s interim appointment begins immediately. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Commissioner John Albin, who left earlier this month.

Thurber joined NDOL in 2012 as an administrative hearing officer and was soon named legal counsel. She has been the general counsel since 2017 and in 2023, also became deputy commissioner of operations. Prior to joining the agency, Thurber was an attorney with the firm of Simmons Olsen in Scottsbluff.

Thurber has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College. She earned her juris doctor at the University of Nebraska College of Law.