Elaine Hughes, after being graduated from Hunter College with a degree in Art and Education, was hired in 1976 by Springs Industries in a industry-setting precedent as the first female account executive in the Company's apparel fabrics division. Springs also sponsored Elaine toward her MBA degree which she received in 1980 from Sacred Heart University. She went on to marketing positions in the textile industry with Malden Mills and Blue Ridge Winkler textiles. In 1991, after her term as partner in the executive search firm of Bader Hartley, Elaine founded E.A. Hughes & Company. Elaine was named Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year in 1996 by the Fairfield County Girl Scout Council. She is a three-term board member of Women in Management, where she initiated two programs: the WIM Scholarship Fund which offers financial assistance to women who are attending college, working and raising families, and the WIM Mentorship Program which assists high school teenagers with positive role models from business. She is also a founding member of the New York Textile Group formerly known as the New York Textile Board of Trade. Elaine has also been the featured speaker at Fairfield University's Board of Directors meetings where she has spoken on the importance of internship programs and entitlements.