Joanna Lohkamp is Chief Executive Officer at Smart Wires, where she has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2021. With more than 30 years of global operating experience across technology, manufacturing, and AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) sectors, Joanna has held executive leadership roles in high-growth Fortune 50, emerging and mid-market private companies. This includes NBBJ, where she was Managing Partner (co-CEO) and Chief Financial & Operating Officer, and Isonics Semiconductor where she was President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to this, Joanna spent 12 years at Intel Corporation, where she held senior executive roles across finance, operations, manufacturing, leadership development, and M&A.
In addition to her role at Smart Wires, Joanna serves as Independent Director and Nominating & Governance Chair of Aspiriant, a wealth management firm. She has also served as Non-Executive Director and Audit & Risk Chair of Woods Bagot Holdings Pty Ltd., Director and Audit Committee Chair of Delta Dental of Washington, and Independent Director and Audit Chair of Kleinfelder. She co-founded Better Boards Initiative, a nonprofit organization known for uncovering and leveraging the best practices of diverse boards, is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow and holds a NACD Directorship Certification®. Joanna has an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University.
Ami Chmielewski is Vice President of Finance at Smart Wires where she leads Finance & Accounting and Information Technology. Ami has nearly 30 years of experience in leading Finance and Strategic Planning functions primarily across the consumer products sector.
Prior to joining Smart Wires in 2024, Ami was Senior Director of Manufacturing Finance at multinational food company Tyson Foods. Prior to this, Ami was President of Operations Finance at Armstrong Flooring, and previously Director of Operations Finance at leading chemical supplier W.R. Grace.
Ami holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Jesse Tucker is Chief of Engineering at Smart Wires, leading the global engineering team that develops new products and sustains existing products. Jesse is an experienced technical leader with nearly 30 years of experience in electrical engineering, R&D, and product management roles at companies ranging from start-ups to large global companies.
Jesse joined Smart Wires in 2024 from a specialized consultancy firm providing product development services to growing companies, including advice on regulatory compliance, PCB design, full system architecture development, and implementing engineering department best practices. Prior to this, Jesse was Director of Product at Sense Photonics, Inc. (now Ouster) and Vice President of Engineering / Chief Technology Officer of Valencell, Inc. which he co-founded in 2006 and developed the wrist heart rate sensors that are now commonly used in fitness wearables and watches. Jesse also previously worked at General Electric’s Global Research Center where he was the principal investigator and technical lead on various wide bandgap semiconductor research programs.
Jesse holds a Ph.D in Electrical and Computing Engineering from George Mason University, where he also obtained a M.S. and a B.S. He is also GE Six Sigma Green Belt certified and has taught GE Research Edison’s masters level courses on semiconductor processing. He has had multiple patents granted and published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles.
Dr. Frank Kreikebaum is SVP of Analytics & Application Engineering at Smart Wires, leading a team of engineers to design and continuously improve safe reliable products. Frank is an accomplished technical leader with over 20 years of experience in power system analysis and product management.
Frank joined Smart Wires in 2013, having previously supported the early development of the Smart Wires technology at Georgia Institute of Technology while pursuing a doctorate in Electrical Engineering under the direction of the inventor of Smart Wires’ technology, Dr. Deepak Divan. At Georgia Tech, he developed transmission planning tools to model power flow controllers and used said models to evaluate the techno-economic benefits of power flow control. He has also held engineering and project management positions at a number of companies in the electric power sector.
In addition to the Ph.D., he earned an M.S. in Economics from Georgia Tech, a B.S in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University and a B.A. in Philosophy from Santa Clara University. He has published a number of publications and has co-authored two book chapters.
Karamjit Singh is SVP of Product Integrity at Smart Wires, where he oversees testing, standards and compliance across the Smart Wires product portfolio. Karamjit has more than 20 years of experience in testing, compliance and regulatory roles.
Karamjit joined Smart Wires in 2016 as Vice President, overseeing engineering design for compliance and global regulatory approvals for the company’s grid solutions. He was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2020 to lead product integrity across multiple engineering disciplines and the full product life cycle. Prior to this, he held numerous leadership roles at the worldwide quality assurance and testing services provider Intertek, and managerial roles at global telecommunications companies including Cisco and Avaya.
Karamjit holds an MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Guru Nanak College.
Melanie Miller is General Counsel at Smart Wires, acting as in-house counsel and partnering with external stakeholders to mitigate legal risks and maintain compliance. Melanie has over 15 years of experience, specializing in a range of different types of litigation including Commercial litigation, Labor and Employment Law, and Product Liability.
Melanie joined Smart Wires as Compliance Counsel in 2022 with responsibility for commercial transactions, intellectual property, corporate compliance, and risk management. Prior to this, Melanie was Partner at leading catastrophic fire and explosion law firm McCoy Leavitt Laskey LLC. Melanie has been a member of Association of Women in Energy since 2017 and was previously a Board Member on the Greater Portland YMCA Advisory Board.
Melanie graduated from Western New England University School of Law in 2011 and also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences and English from Florida International University.
Joaquin Peirano is General Manager for the Americas at Smart Wires, leading the commercial and operational activities in North, Central, and South America, as well as building strategic partnerships with key stakeholders such as regulators, utilities, developers, and large loads. He has over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, working in various roles such as project management, business development, and consulting.
Joaquin joined Smart Wires in 2017 as a Strategy and Business Development Lead in 2017, and later holding customer solutions and commercial managerial roles before becoming General Manager for the Americas in 2022. Prior to this, Joaquin worked as an Energy Consultant with Navigant Consulting Inc.
He holds a Master of Engineering Management from Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Electromechanical Engineering from Universidad de Montevideo in Uruguay.
Hêdd Roberts is General Manager, Europe & APAC, at Smart Wires, leading the commercial activities in these regions to help transmission system operators to address their challenges with Smart Wires’ products and services. Hêdd has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry across regulation, customer connections, system development, investment management and the development of access and charging arrangements.
Prior to joining Smart Wires in 2022, Hêdd held multiple senior roles at National Grid in the UK, most recently Director of Regulation, Electricity Transmission. He was also the Head of Customer Solutions where he was responsible for partnering with National Grid’s customers to help them find solutions that work for them and their businesses,
Hêdd holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Manchester.