Windings is proud to announce the appointment of Jerhod Smithback as Vice President of Engineering, effective Monday, January 12, 2026. Jerhod joins Windings during a period of continued growth and investment in engineering excellence, manufacturing capability, and customer-driven innovation across mission-critical markets.

With more than 20 years of experience in electrical engineering, product development, operations, and engineering leadership, Jerhod brings a proven track record of building scalable engineering organizations, accelerating development timelines, and delivering complex engineered-to-order solutions in highly regulated industries. His leadership will support Windings’ ongoing commitment to providing reliable, high-performance electric motor, rotor, and stator solutions for aerospace, defense, industrial, and power-generation applications.

Strengthening Engineering Leadership at Windings

The addition of a Vice President of Engineering reflects Windings’ strategic focus on engineering as a core driver of business success. As customer requirements become more complex and performance expectations continue to rise, strong engineering leadership is essential to maintaining quality, reliability, and speed-to-market.

In his role, Jerhod will lead Windings’ engineering organization, guiding technical strategy, supporting cross-functional collaboration, and ensuring engineering execution aligns with customer needs and long-term company objectives. His background spans the full product lifecycle—from concept and design through manufacturing and delivery—making him uniquely positioned to support Windings’ integrated approach to engineering and manufacturing.

Delivering Engineered-to-Order Solutions in Regulated Industries

Across his career, Jerhod has consistently delivered results in highly regulated, mission-critical environments. His leadership has supported organizations responsible for complex engineered-to-order solutions where success depends on precision, collaboration, and execution discipline.

Key areas of impact include:

• Building scalable engineering organizations
• Improving cross-functional collaboration between engineering, operations, and program management
• Accelerating time-to-market while maintaining quality and compliance
• Supporting long-term revenue growth through innovation and execution

His leadership style emphasizes accountability, clarity, and alignment—qualities essential for engineering organizations operating in aerospace, defense, industrial, and power-generation markets.

Supporting Windings’ Long-Term Growth Strategy

As Vice President of Engineering at Windings, Jerhod will play a critical role in advancing the company’s engineering strategy and supporting continued growth. His experience aligns closely with Windings’ focus on delivering reliable, high-performance electric motor, rotor, and stator solutions for demanding applications.

Windings’ employee-owned structure and long-term mindset align well with Jerhod’s approach to leadership, which prioritizes sustainable growth, team development, and continuous improvement.

A Career Rooted in Electrical Engineering Excellence

Jerhod began his career at Kato Engineering, where he served as a Principal Electrical Engineer from 2002 to 2013. During this time, he developed deep expertise in electrical machine design, power systems, and engineered-to-order manufacturing environments.

At Kato Engineering, Jerhod worked closely with customers requiring highly customized solutions, gaining firsthand experience in translating performance specifications into manufacturable, reliable products. His technical contributions and leadership during this period laid the foundation for a career centered on engineering rigor, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

During this period he completed a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, reinforcing his strong technical foundation and commitment to engineering excellence.

This early hands-on experience continues to influence Jerhod’s leadership philosophy, emphasizing practical engineering solutions, manufacturability, and close alignment between engineering teams and customer requirements.

Engineering Leadership at MTU On-Site Energy

From 2013 to 2017, Jerhod served as Manager of Electrical Engineering at MTU On-Site Energy, part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. In this role, he led engineering teams responsible for the development and support of advanced power-generation systems used in mission-critical applications.

Operating within a global, highly regulated organization, Jerhod was responsible for managing engineering resources, improving development processes, and ensuring compliance with strict performance and regulatory standards. He worked closely with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams to ensure engineering designs could be efficiently and reliably produced at scale.

This experience further strengthened his ability to lead engineering organizations in environments where quality, safety, and reliability are non-negotiable—capabilities that align directly with Windings’ markets and customer expectations.

Executive Leadership at Nidec Motor Corporation

In 2017, Jerhod joined Nidec Motor Corporation, where he held a series of senior leadership roles over more than eight years, expanding his impact across engineering, operations, and program management.

PMO Manager (2017–2019)

Jerhod initially served as PMO Manager, focusing on improving program execution, governance, and alignment across engineering and operations teams. He implemented structured project management practices to enhance visibility, accountability, and on-time delivery for complex engineering programs.

Vice President of Engineering (2019–2023)

From 2019 to 2023, Jerhod served as Vice President of Engineering, leading large, multidisciplinary engineering teams responsible for new product development, sustaining engineering, and customer-specific solutions.

In this role, he:

• Accelerated product development cycles
• Aligned engineering roadmaps with customer and market needs
• Supported revenue growth through faster innovation and execution
• Delivered engineered-to-order solutions for global customers

His teams supported demanding customers such as Caterpillar, the U.S. Navy, data center operators, and industrial power users—organizations that depend on reliable, high-performance electric motor and power solutions.

Vice President of Operations (2023–2025)

Jerhod’s role expanded further when he became Vice President of Operations from 2023 to 2025. In this position, he oversaw manufacturing, supply chain, and operational performance, gaining direct responsibility for execution on the factory floor.

This operational leadership experience strengthened his ability to connect engineering decisions to manufacturing realities, ensuring designs could be produced efficiently without sacrificing performance or quality.

Vice President of PMO (August 2025–January 2026)

Most recently, Jerhod served as Vice President of PMO, overseeing enterprise-level program management and strategic execution. In this role, he supported executive leadership by aligning complex portfolios with organizational priorities and ensuring disciplined execution across functions.

Looking Ahead

The appointment of Jerhod Smithback as Vice President of Engineering marks an important milestone for Windings. His combination of technical depth, operational insight, and executive leadership will help strengthen engineering capabilities, support customers’ most demanding requirements, and position Windings for continued success.

We are pleased to welcome Jerhod to the Windings executive team and look forward to the impact his leadership will have on our engineering organization, our customers, and our employee-owners.