Whitney is the Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer at Southwest Airlines Co. Previously she led Southwest’s Culture & Engagement Department and was responsible for Southwest’s enterprise support of the airline’s iconic culture, along with the roadmaps for the Employee Experience and Employee Insights. The Change Leadership Team is also a part of the Culture & Engagement.

Most recently, Whitney was Vice President, Communications for Rock Ventures and Bedrock, the commercial real estate investment firm owned by Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman of Quicken Loans and the Rock family of companies, and Chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers. In this role, she worked collaboratively with the more than 100 businesses in the Rock family of companies to share Detroit’s success story. She also established a formal communications process, including an internal communications function, for Bedrock and the family of companies. Whitney met quarterly with new hires across the Rock family of companies to instill the Bedrock tenants and set new employees up for success. Prior to that, Whitney spent 15 years at Southwest Airlines in Communications & Outreach before leaving to pursue a role at Ford Motor Co. in 2014. She was at Ford for two years, focusing on financial and investor communications, legal communications, and communications for the Lincoln brand.

Whitney has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from The University of Texas at Arlington. She lives in Dallas with her husband, Erik, their son, Owen, and dog, Chief.

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