Southwest Airlines has announced Bob Jordan as the carrier’s Executive Vice
President of Strategy, Procurement, and Technology, and Ron Ricks,
Executive Vice President of Law, Airports, and Public Affairs.Both
Leadership positions, effective in September, report to Gary Kelly,
Southwest’s Chief Executive Officer.

In their new roles, Jordan is responsible for Southwest’s Technology,
Purchasing, Facilities, Fuel Management, and Airport Security Departments.
He also will direct the development and implementation of the Company’s
Strategic Plan. Ricks leads Southwest’s Legal and Properties (corporate
real estate) Departments, airport relationships, and governmental and
regulatory affairs (federal, state and local).
  “I cannot think of two individuals who deserve this promotion more,”
Kelly said. “Ron’s 25 years of Southwest experience, having come from the
law firm our Executive Chairman, Herb Kelleher, founded; and Bob’s diverse
job history, many years of Southwest experience, and his vision; will help
them lead Southwest’s innovations in support of our low cost mission far
into the future.”
  Jordan began his 18-year career at Southwest as a Programmer Analyst in
Technology. He then held various positions in Finance, including Manager of
Sales Accounting, Director of Sales Accounting, Director of Revenue
Accounting, and Controller. Bob was promoted to Vice President of
Purchasing and Fuel, served as Vice President of Technology, and most
recently, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Spend Management before moving
into his current position. Bob earned his Bachelor of Science degree in
computer science and MBA from Texas A&M University.
  Ricks serves on the Senior Management Committee, the airline’s senior
officer group, and the Executive Planning Committee, the eight-member
executive officer group for strategic and longrange planning. He is a 1972
graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and earned his law degree in
1976 from The National Law Center at George Washington University, in
Washington, D.C.
  Southwest also announced three additional leadership changes:
    *  Jan Marshall, recently Chief Development Officer, has been promoted to
Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer, reporting
to Bob Jordan.
    *  Kerry Schwab, recently Director of Application Architecture, has been
promoted to Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, reporting to Jan Marshall.
    *  Lori Rainwater, new to the Southwest Airlines Family, has been named
Vice President of Internal Audit, reporting to Gary Kelly.
  “As Southwest continues to grow and innovate, so does the depth of our
Leadership,” Kelly said. “The knowledge and experience of our Leaders is
tremendous. I congratulate Bob, Ron, Jan, Kerry, and Lori on their new
roles and responsibilities.”
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