Southwest Airlines has announced the promotion of Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Linda Rutherford to Executive Vice President People & Communications, effective immediately.
Rutherford will succeed Bob Jordan in what was the Executive Vice President Corporate Services role, as he pivots to making the CEO transition as smooth as possible and spending time with employees across the company. Rutherford will report directly to Jordan and will continue to serve as the Chief Communications Officer for the company.
She will continue to oversee Communications & Outreach and Culture & Engagement, while adding Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I), People, and Southwest Airlines University to her responsibilities. Reporting to Rutherford in her new role will be Vice President and Chief People Officer Julie Weber, Managing Director Communications & Outreach Laurie Barnett, Managing Director Culture & Engagement Whitney Eichinger, Vice President Southwest Airlines University Elizabeth Bryant, and Director DE&I Raquel Daniels.
