Heather Johnas Women in Business Award 2026

Heather Johnas

Proterra

Head of Manufacturing Operations

Greenville

Heather Johnas is a senior operations and manufacturing leader with nearly two decades of experience driving operational excellence, supply chain efficiency, and continuous improvement across complex, multi-site organizations. Currently serving as senior director of manufacturing operations at Proterra, Johnas is known for her ability to build high-performing teams and has a strong track record of developing internal talent and promoting employees into leadership roles.

How do you define leadership?

Leadership begins with learning and understanding your process and your team before you ask anything of them. Knowing what you're tasking people to do, and being able to explain the why behind it, is how you earn trust and genuine buy-in rather than just compliance. At the core of this philosophy is a simple belief: a leader works for their team. The job is to support them, remove barriers, and make sure they have the tools and resources they need to execute every day. That means practicing active listening. This is not a performance, but it is a discipline and finding the balance between holding the line and bringing your team along to figure out the path forward together.

The hardest part of leadership is before the relationship exists. In those early days, patience is everything. Rushing to prove yourself reads as ego, not competence, and it slows the very trust you're trying to build. The work is in showing up consistently, knocking down small obstacles, following through on what you said you would do. Every one of those moments is a deposit. The relationship account has to have enough in it before you can make a withdrawal. Keeping communication open from the start is what accelerates all of it. When people feel safe telling you the truth before they fully trust you, that's the signal that something real is being built. Being liked and being trusted are not the same thing but earn enough respect early, and the rest follows.

What one thing have you learned that has served you well over the years?

One of the most valuable lessons learned over the years is simple: say yes. Say yes to the project, say yes to the cross-functional discussion, say yes to the opportunity you're not entirely sure you're ready for. The more you understand about the business and what matters to other teams, what your customers actually need, how the pieces connect, the better equipped you are to lead and serve your team in a way that contributes to the company's broader success.

Curiosity is not a phase of your career. It is a practice you maintain throughout it. The business will always be changing and evolving, and the leaders who stay relevant are the ones who never stop learning and never stop asking questions. Saying yes expands your perspective, builds relationships across the organization, and ultimately makes you a more informed, more connected, and more effective leader for your team.