DALLAS, Dec. 8, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Southwest Airlines
Co. (NYSE: LUV) has named Lisa
Atherton as a candidate to join the Board. Atherton, along
with other Board nominees, will be on the ballot at the Company's
Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 15,
2024.
Atherton is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bell, a
Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, and a member of Textron's
Executive Leadership Team. She oversees a multibillion-dollar
business that provides innovative products for defense and
commercial customers across the globe.
Prior to assuming her role as President and Chief Executive
Officer, Atherton served as the Chief Operating Officer of Bell. In
2017, she was named the President and Chief Executive Officer of
Textron Systems, providing innovative solutions to the defense,
aerospace, and general aviation markets.
"Lisa's broad range of Leadership experience, along with her
service to our country in the Air Force, will be a tremendous
benefit to our Board," said Gary
Kelly, Executive Chairman of the Board for Southwest
Airlines. "Her vast knowledge of aviation, government requirements,
regulations, and budgeting, combined with her expertise leading
highly complex programs and strategic initiatives, will be valuable
as we continue to add diversity of thought and experience to our
talented Board. We're looking forward to working with her."
During her time at Bell, she has served the role of executive
vice president, Military Business and vice president, Global
Military Development. She also held several positions within Bell's
Military Programs division, including V-22 program manager and
director of Military Programs. Prior to joining Bell, Atherton was
the vice president of Area Attack at Textron Systems, where she
also served as the vice president of Business Development.
Before her career with Textron, Atherton spent eight years as
Air Combat Command's Directorate of Requirements, helping to shape
the budget and operational requirements and needs for the Combat
Air Forces and was a contracting officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Atherton earned a Master's degree in Business Administration
from the Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary and a bachelor's degree
in Legal Studies from the U.S. Air Force
Academy. She is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and also
has completed Textron's Senior Executive Leadership Programs at the
Thunderbird School of Global Management, as well as Duke University's Fuqua
School of Business.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
Southwest Airlines Co. Board of Directors is made up of diverse
professionals with a range of leadership experience, including
technology, innovation, business, and education. The Board strives
for diversity in line with Southwest's DEI Commitment in the
broadest sense: experience, industry, geography, gender, ethnicity,
and race, with the goals of obtaining diverse perspectives and
promoting constructive debate. Approximately 30 percent of the
Board is ethnically and/or gender diverse. The Board also has
invested in a corporate-level membership in the National
Association of Corporate Directors—an organization of directors
from public, private, and nonprofit organizations who are committed
to the highest standard of excellence in board leadership, director
development, best practices, and serving as strategic assets for
their organizations. To learn more about the Southwest Airlines'
Board of Directors, visit this link.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.