Tessa Thrasher Hughes

Tessa Thrasher Hughes is Senior Attorney, Employment & Compliance at Vulcan Materials Company, a Fortune 1000 publicly-traded construction materials company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.  A member of the Alabama Bar since 1993, Tessa practiced general civil defense law with a focus on employment discrimination issues prior to joining Vulcan in January 2002.

In her role with Vulcan, she oversees the administration of Vulcan’s Business Conduct Program, including its Business Conduct Helpline, training on the components of the program, and the issuance to all employees of a biennial questionnaire regarding compliance.   In addition, she oversees all employment litigation; interacts with local, state and federal employment agencies; advises her internal clients on a national and international basis on compliance, labor, and employment law matters; and provides training on a number of employment and compliance-related topics.  She was a founder of Vulcan’s Mentoring Program, a current member of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is also on the Steering Committee of Vulcan Women’s Network.

Tessa is also active in the communities where she lives and works.  She and her husband reside on a horse farm and both compete in field trials throughout the Southeast.  She has held leadership positions with non-profit organizations including the YWCA of Greater Birmingham, the Freshwater Land Trust of Alabama, the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, and the Alabama Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association.  She has also served on the vestry and as senior warden of Calvary Episcopal Church, where she is also a member of the choir and a lector.   She has served as a religious columnist for The Decatur Daily, and her sporting and humor pieces are frequently published in The American Field.  She is also the author of Feeding the ‘Dog-Tired” – the Field Trialer’s Cookbook.

Tessa is a panelist for Women’s Groups in the Workplace