California based airline Virgin America has appointed Luanne Calvert as Vice President of Marketing. Calvert replaces Porter Gale who departed the Company earlier in 2011 to pursue other opportunities.

With a wealth of experience in the marketing and advertising worlds, Calvert will play a leading role in developing the Virgin America brand as the airline continues to grow into new markets across North America. She will lead the airline’s Brand and Online Marketing, In-flight Content and Loyalty teams.

“As the only airline based here in Silicon Valley, we’re thrilled to have someone with Luanne’s unique blend of brand and digital marketing expertise to help shape our Company as we grow,” said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush.

“Virgin America is known for both its innovative flight experience and status as a challenger brand in the industry. Luanne’s experience and vision will help further define our brand’s unique place in the travel landscape.”

An industry veteran, Calvert has spent 20 years shaping some of the world’s leading brands. Calvert comes to Virgin America after leading digital marketing strategy as a consultant with Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy’s (LVMH) Fendi and Moleskine brands in Italy. Prior to that, Calvert served as Creative Director at Google, led her own marketing firm (Mixed Marketing, Inc) and served as Director of Marketing at Yahoo!, Inc. where she founded Yahoo!‘s buzz marketing team.

Calvert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from San Francisco State University. She currently resides in San Francisco.