Tesla’s HR head Valerie Capers Workman resigns

Electric carmaker Tesla’s head of human resources and one of its top-ranking black leaders, Valerie Capers Workman, has resigned. On her updated LinkedIn profile, Valerie has marked January 2022 as the end of her tenure with Elon Musk-led Tesla. 

According to Bloomberg, she is likely to join career-placement firm Handshake next week as Chief Legal Officer. Valerie has been associated with the American automotive company since February 2018, when she joined as Associate General Counsel, Compliance. 

An alumna of the Saint John’s University School of Law, her legal contribution to Tesla has been remarkable in terms of winning several cases, including that of Owen Diaz. Under the advocacy of Valerie, Diaz won a $137 million payout in a racial discrimination case based on events that took place at Tesla’s Fremont factory while he was employed by a subcontractor at the plant. 

Talking to Bloomberg, Valerie said, “I am proud of all that I was able to accomplish at Tesla with the support of truly excellent colleagues, especially the People and Legal teams.” Though Tesla hasn’t announced her replacement, she added that she’s looking forward to passing off the “baton in a better place than when I received it.”