Paul J. Jones

Paul Jones was named senior vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer in October 2025. In this role, he will oversee the company's legal, compliance and intellectual property activities globally. He moved to this role after joining A. O. Smith in 2023 as vice president of corporate development and strategy.

Previously he was vice president of university relations at Marquette University where he led many of the university’s external-facing functions, including marketing, communication, public affairs, and corporate and community engagement. He also served as general counsel.

Prior to joining Marquette University, Paul spent 10 years as an executive officer at Harley-Davidson Inc., as vice president and chief legal officer and head of strategy, sustainability and corporate development. Before that, he was vice president and general counsel at Regal-Beloit Corp. and a partner at Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee.

Paul earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University. He also earned a post-graduate degree in strategy and innovation from Oxford University.