Ed Herderick selected for Leadership Columbus’ Signature Program Class of 2022

Ed Herderick, the director of additive manufacturing at The Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME), has been selected into Leadership Columbus’ Signature Program Class of 2022. The Signature Program is a selective program in which approximately 60 individuals are chosen each year to represent the Columbus community in becoming better leaders.

The program consists of a 10-month experience designed to provide participants with the tools to become impactful leaders in the community. Participants take part in relationship-building, problem-solving, civic engagement, and personal growth activities. They also dive deeper into issues within the community, including, but not limited to, the economy, the justice system, public education, and health and human services.

Throughout his career, Herderick has proved himself to be an effective, innovative leader. At CDME, he monitors all additive manufacturing activities that support CDME’s mission of providing industrial education for all, while also encouraging manufacturing innovation to Ohio industry. He has led the center’s 3D printing program for the last four years.

“My professional mission is to make central Ohio the world’s leader in 3D printing,” Herderick said. “By participating in the Leadership Columbus' Signature Program, I hope to broaden the network of local community partners that I can team up with to make that a reality. Success in that endeavor will grow opportunities for local K-12 students, entrepreneurs, and Ohio State students as well as other local universities."

When Herderick applied to the Signature Program, he was inspired by a former co-worker who is an alumnus and a current chairman for Leadership Columbus. He was motivated by the core concept of building a strong leadership base in central Ohio. This spoke to Herderick because most of his previous work was not local. So, he was intrigued by a program that has a more regional focus where he could still make a large impact.

Before his role at CDME, Herderick worked at General Electric. His first role was in GE’s Advanced Manufacturing Initiatives Group. In this position, he was the leader for GE Corporate Supply Chain and Operations, in which he was responsible for the insertion of additive manufacturing into the supply chain. He then transitioned to global sales for portable nondestructive testing (NDT) products at GE Inspection Technologies. Here, he led an initiative on inspection and NDT of additively manufactured metal parts.

According to Leadership Columbus, each of the program’s participants embody the ideal traits of a leader and are passionate about bettering the Columbus community.

Columbus Business First recently posted an article regarding the new 2022 class, stating that it is the largest in the program’s history. The Class of 2022 has 78 participants from more than 70 organizations across Central Ohio. The diverse group represents various backgrounds, skill sets, experiences, age, race, sexual orientation, and gender.

Since 1974, Leadership Columbus has been the top organization to educate and empower over 2,900 people to become trustworthy leaders for the Columbus community. Leadership Columbus also has an alumni network consisting of individuals who have landed leadership positions in a wide variety of areas. Leadership employment of the organization’s graduates are found in government, baking business, nonprofit sectors, politics, journalism, philanthropy, law, industry, and neighborhood development.

To learn more about Leadership Columbus, visit leadershipcolumbus.org.

By Alexandra Veneck,  CDME undergraduate marketing assistant