Tesla’s Most Prominent Black Executive Steps Down From HR Job

Tesla Inc.’s head of human resources and one of its highest-ranking Black leaders, Valerie Capers Workman, is departing for a new job, leaving the company without a key defender after multiple racism controversies in recent years.

Workman is joining career-network firm Handshake next week as chief legal officer, she confirmed in an email. Her LinkedIn profile shows that her role as Tesla’s vice president of people concludes this month.

Workman has been a prominent voice from within the company on issues of race and has also played a key role leading Tesla’s response to Covid-19 hazards. The departure ...