Manager of Business Operations - WVU Industrial Extension
James Jones brings over 20 years of manufacturing leadership experience to his role as Manager of Business Operations at WVU Industrial Extension. With deep expertise in process improvement, organizational strategy, and leadership development, James plays a central role in advancing the center’s mission to support manufacturers across West Virginia.
A strong advocate for innovation and service alignment, James oversees the center’s operational components, including product development in high-growth areas such as workforce, leadership, and supply chain. He is leading the revision of the product development process to ensure a standardized methodology that supports scalability and strategic growth.
He directs and supports the work of the practice managers ensuring end-to-end customer satisfaction from proposal development through project execution. Additionally, collaborates with the Associate Director to identify and vet third-party resources that help balance team workloads and meet client expectations.
James continues to manage the center’s process improvement services and provides one-on-one support to manufacturers through leadership coaching, internal audits, strategic and succession planning, and culture development.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Yale University, a Master of Business Administration from Penn State, and a Master of Engineering Management from Ohio University. He is a certified DiSC Practitioner and an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 internal lead auditor.
Education
MEM, Ohio University
MBA, Penn State
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Yale University