With unwavering determination, she has guided Dillard University and facilitated the rebuilding of the campus which sustained more than $400 million in flood, fire and wind damage. She is leading the university through the substantial recovery, rebuilding, and master planning of the 55-acre campus while continuing routine functions of a regular university administration at the Hilton Riverside Hotel.

Prior to beginning her tenure at Dillard University, Dr. Hughes served as President of California State University, Stanislaus for eleven years where she is credited with increasing enrollment by 40%, fundraising by 416%, capital construction by 41%, and achieving many national rankings for the first time in the University's history. In addition, she has served in a number of high-level administrative positions at major research institutions including the vice president and professor at the University of Minnesota; vice president and professor at the University of Toledo; associate vice president at Arizona State University; and senior-level administrator and professor at San Diego State University.

She has been an active leader in major national organizations, including the Association of American State Colleges and Universities where she chaired the Women's presidents group in America, the National Association of Land Grant colleges and Universities where she chaired Vice Presidents, The National President of the American College Personnel Association and the President of the National Association of Counseling Center Directors. She has initiated international partnerships with the Arab American University in Jenin (Palestinian Territory) in 1995, the Ethiopian-African American University (Addis Ababa) in 1997, Hanseo University in South Korea in 1997, Evora University in Portugal in 1999, The University of the Azores in 2001, Tamkang University in Taiwan in 2002, Université de Cergy-Pontoise in France in 2004, Communication University of China in Beijing and Universidad Regiomontana in Monterrey, Mexico in 2005. In these partnerships, she served as the founding American President who guided the universities through global partnership building.

In 2005, Dr. Hughes was selected as one of the top 10 Black women in Higher Education in America; Black Voices, April 2005. Dr. Hughes has conducted research and authored or co-authored numerous chapters and articles related to education, managing organizations, human behavior and diversity. She served on editorial boards of major journals and has made hundreds of presentations to national and international audiences, and has given keynote addresses throughout the United States as well as in Austria, South Africa, Costa Rica, Russia, Lithuania, China, Bermuda, Jordan, the Emirates and Ethiopia.

In August, 2006, she delivered the invited keynote address at the Great Hall of the People of the Republic in Beijing China to the International Conference for Women University Presidents. It was her third invited address on Women's issues at the Great Hall.

In 2006, she served as co-author of the AASCU / NASULG national document on diversity. She earned her Ph.D. in Administration and Counseling from Florida State University, after studying at Tuskegee University, New York University and Columbia University. Dr. Hughes is the recipient of a number of honorary degrees, including the Honorary Doctor or Laws recently bestowed upon her at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She has pursued post-doctoral study at three Harvard University Summer Institutes and one institute at Oxford University, England. Her career reveals a deep commitment to academic excellence, community service and partnerships with public/private sectors.