Joshua Hughes has been named as new director of human resources and legal affairs at Ashland University. Hughes, who started at AU on Aug. 12, replaces John Brandon, who retired earlier this year.

Hughes, who is a licensed attorney in Ohio and Michigan, comes to Ashland from MedCentral Health System in Mansfield, Ohio, where he had been since October of 2005.

In that role, Hughes operated as a key member of the Human Resources management team for a multi-site health system, overseeing the implementation of all human resources policies and procedures.

Prior to joining MedCentral, Hughes was an attorney at the law firm, Braun Kendrick Finkbeiner PLC, in Saginaw, Mich., from 2003 to 2005. He served and counseled clients in several areas of the firm’s practice, including insurance defense, labor and employment, health care, and other general business and litigation matters. He also conducted research and provided advisory opinions on a variety of wage and hour, labor relations and regulatory compliance issues.

Hughes also has presented on numerous legal topics, including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance, wage and hour topics, labor and employment matters and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Hughes holds a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law and a bachelor of specialized studies with a minor in interpersonal communication from Ohio University. At Michigan State, he served as chief editor of articles for the Journal of Medicine and Law.

Hughes has served on the Board of Trustees for Toy Time Inc. and was a member of the Mansfield/Richland County Leadership Unlimited Class of 2007 – 2008; the Ohio Society of Health Care Human Resources Administrators; the Ohio State Bar Association; the North Central Ohio Human Resources Association; and Richland-Crawford Workforce Investment Board. He also was the Pioneer Career and Technical Center Business Partner of the Year in 2008.