Jeff Hemphill, chief technical officer of the Schaeffler Group in North America, is the new vice president of automotive for SAE International. Hemphill was elected to the 3-year term by the SAE International general membership and will begin his term on Jan. 1, 2013.
He succeeds Mircea Gradu, Ph.D., vice president automotive, Chrysler Group, LLC who served from 2010-2012.
Hemphill will be responsible for providing leadership and continuity for the society's automotive initiative and for integrating the needs of the automotive industry in SAE International's standards, events and educational programs. SAE International also elects vice presidents for its aerospace and commercial-vehicle sectors.
In his current position with the Schaeffler Group, Hemphill is responsible for new product development, analysis and testing of transmission, engine, chassis, and industrial components and systems for conventional and hybrid vehicles as well as consumer products and industrial machine products.Hemphill has a BSME from The University of Akron, which he earned while working as a machinist and cooperative education student.
He also earned an executive certificate in strategy and innovation from MIT. His product development experience covers 25 years and includes manufacturing engineering, product design, testing, and vehicle development experience and he has more than 70 patents filed or issued.
Hemphill is a 14-year member of SAE International. He has served on the SAE clutch standards committee. In addition, he has authored and organized various SAE International technical papers, served on meeting panels, presented at SAE International conferences, and participated in and organized sponsorship of SAE International's North American International Powertrain Conference since its inception
