Tesla’s Vice President, People, Valerie Capers Workman, has stepped down from the company, reports Automotive News.
The executive has played a major role at Tesla when it came to issues of race and is leaving the company at the end of the month, according to her LinkedIn page.
“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,” Workman told Automotive News in an email.
She said she needed to “pass off the baton in a better place than when I received it,” giving a high school track and field analogy. Workman also added she was “confident that I have done this at Tesla with the implementation of so many important programs for employees worldwide.”
The attorney will be taking on a new position at career network and recruiting platform, Handshake based in San Francisco, as the latter’s chief legal officer.
The vice president’s LinkedIn says she “Oversaw the development of several ground-breaking programs for Employee Resource Groups: Black at Tesla, LGBTQ+, Latinos at Tesla, Veterans at Tesla, Women In Tesla and API at Tesla including Tesla’s groundbreaking “Listen to Understand” live events series,” as just one part of her major role at Tesla.
Workman reported directly to CEO Elon Musk after being promoted to Vice President of People back in July 2020. She played a major role in Tesla’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and also led the company to help publish its first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report last December.
