Leadership Team

Bob Jordan

President, Chief Executive Officer, & Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors

Bob Jordan serves as President, Chief Executive Officer, & Vice Chairman of the Board at Southwest Airlines. Bob is a 38-year Southwest veteran, and has held 15 different positions, including leadership roles in Finance, Planning, Procurement, Fuel, Facilities, Technology, Corporate Strategy, and People & Culture, and has served as Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer.

As CEO, Bob is leading the largest transformation in Southwest’s 54-year history, evolving to meet the needs of our current and future Customers, modernize the airline and lower costs, and improve financial returns. This includes assigned and premium seating, enhancements to our award-winning Rapid Rewards loyalty program, new distribution channels, adding redeye flying routes and global airline partnerships, and a new vacations product, Getaways by Southwest. Bob champions the unique Southwest Culture, leading Southwest's People as they focus on delivering unparalleled Hospitality and legendary Customer Service.

During his career, Bob has been responsible for many key initiatives, including development of Southwest’s e-commerce platform, the Rapid Rewards loyalty program, leading the comprehensive "Heart" brand refresh, and implementing a new reservations system.

Bob also played a critical role in Southwest’s acquisition of AirTran Airways and served as President of AirTran during the integration, a strategic move that expanded Southwest’s domestic and international network. During the global pandemic, Bob led Company efforts around voluntary retirement and leave programs that were critical to reducing costs and avoiding pay cuts as demand for air travel plummeted.

Bob earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University. He serves on the boards of Airlines for America, Southwestern Medical Foundation, Airlink Governors Council, and Texas A&M University Engineering Advisory Council. Bob and his wife have two grown children and two grandsons.

Andrew Watterson

Chief Operating Officer

Andrew Watterson serves the People of Southwest Airlines as Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Andrew's Executive guidance shapes the strategy, design, and performance of the operation of the world's largest point-to-point air carrier, and the world's most awarded airline. The Southwest Employees under his Leadership work as a Team to safely transport hundreds of thousands of Customers, their bags, and cargo each day.

Andrew assumed the Chief Operator role in October 2022 after serving as Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer and led the Company through an operational overhaul that established Southwest as the best carrier in 2025 among the U.S. Airline industry, as recognized by The Wall Street Journal.
Andrew resumed responsibility over Revenue functions from June 2024 to June 2026 and drove a transformation of the business model that improved revenue generation and returned the Company to industry-leading profit margins in Q1 2026.

Andrew joined Southwest in October 2013 as Vice President of Network Planning & Performance. Prior to Southwest, he served as Vice President of Planning and Revenue Management at Hawaiian Airlines after 12 years as a partner in Oliver Wyman’s aviation practice. He began his career as an operations management consultant with Ernst & Young in Atlanta and Paris.

He was conferred a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA with a concentration in Operations Management from Vanderbilt University. He served four years in the U.S. Army.

Tom Doxey

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Tom Doxey joined Southwest in February 2025 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Tom leads all aspects of the Company’s finance organization, including accounting, tax, financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, fleet management, treasury, and investor relations. He also oversees corporate strategy, corporate facilities, internal audit, and supply chain.

Before joining Southwest, Tom served as President of Breeze Airways, where he guided the airline through a successful transformation from startup to profitability in under two years. He previously held several leadership roles at United Airlines, including Senior Vice President of Technical Operations and CFO of Operations. Tom began his aviation career in financial planning and fleet management roles at Allegiant Air and US Airways, gaining deep expertise in aircraft transactions, cost optimization, and corporate finance.

Tom holds a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Brigham Young University. He serves on the Advisory Board for BYU’s Marriott School of Business. A former collegiate baseball player, Tom was recognized as an Academic All-Conference athlete. He served as a volunteer in Barcelona, Spain and is fluent in Spanish. Tom and his wife are proud parents of six children.

Justin Jones

Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer

Justin Jones serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Southwest Airlines, where he leads Network Planning, Capacity Planning, Revenue Management, Pricing, Southwest Business, and Airport Affairs. He brings broad cross-functional experience spanning Operations, Maintenance, Marketing, Finance, and 10 years in Revenue Management & Pricing. His Leadership is focused on strengthening Southwest’s revenue production capabilities, advancing network maturation, and driving market share and passenger growth.

Justin joined Southwest Airlines in 2001 as a Revenue Management & Pricing Analyst. Since then, he has held positions in Interactive Marketing, Aircraft Operations, Operations Research, Pricing, and Planning, and served as the Commercial Lead for the replacement of the Company’s reservation system. In 2016, Justin became Vice President of Operational Strategy & Performance, where he was responsible for the operational performance and strategic planning of companywide initiatives supporting Southwest’s operation. He later served as Vice President of Planning & Performance in Technical Operations before becoming Senior Vice President of Operational Strategy & Design in December 2021, working with Operational Leaders to build the plans needed to modernize the operation.

Justin believes in the power of Teamwork and lives by the philosophy that if you expect the best from your People—and believe they are the best—they will make it true. Justin considers his proudest moment to be the birth of his children, and he resides in the Dallas area with his wife.

Justin holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Texas A&M University.

Tony Roach

Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial & Brand Officer

As Chief Customer & Brand Officer, Tony oversees several Customer and Employee-facing functions, including Marketing, Digital, Product, Loyalty, Customer Experience, Communications, Culture & Inclusion, People (HR), Product & Loyalty, Southwest Airlines University, and Talent & Organizational Strategy.

Tony is known for Leadership that unifies efforts across the organization to drive growth, with a focus on driving Customer demand, implementing seamless Customer experiences, elevating the Southwest brand internally and externally, preparing for the next phase of the airline industry—including new products and service expectations—and enhancing the airline’s ability to deliver on the Employee Experience.

Over his two decades at Southwest, Tony has led several high-impact initiatives, including overseeing a $2 billion Customer Experience transformation plan, focused on modernizing the cabin and digital experiences. Under Tony’s Leadership, Southwest has received numerous accolades, including recognition in Newsweek’s America’s Best Customer Service for three consecutive years (2024-2026) and being named the #1 Airline for Economy Class Customer Satisfaction five years running in the JD Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study. These achievements reflect his commitment to reinforcing Southwest’s leadership in Customer Service.

Beyond his core responsibilities, Tony is passionate about fostering a People-first Culture at Southwest. He serves as the Executive Sponsor of B.E.A.T., an Employee-led internal resource group focused on career education, mentorship, and community initiatives to empower Southwest Employees in their professional growth. Additionally, he serves on the Children’s Health Board of Directors, further showcasing his commitment to impactful leadership and service beyond the airline industry.

Tony holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from Abilene Christian University. He and his wife live in Dallas and have four children.

Lauren Woods

Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer

Lauren Woods provides strategic and innovative Leadership as Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, the nation's largest airline in terms of domestic Customer boardings. Lauren's vision is to provide Southwest with the most reliable, secure, and effective Technology solutions in the airline industry.

Since joining Southwest in 2010, Lauren has led key initiatives across Southwest's Technology Department, supporting Southwest's Digital and Customer Channels and various Operations Teams and Platforms. Lauren was instrumental in establishing Southwest's Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Infrastructure, creating a new development and delivery platform for complex application ecosystems. She also focused heavily on the transformation of Southwest's enterprise data platforms that drive the Company's Data Science, Analytics, Optimization, and System integrations.

Prior to Southwest, Lauren worked in the management consulting firm Diamond Management & Technology (now PWC) with clients such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Travelers Insurance. Lauren's consulting experience laid the foundation for her launch into Technology at Southwest.

Lauren is passionate about cloud-native development and infrastructure, as well as Southwest's Legendary Customer Service, and shares these passions as a board member of 66degrees, a Google Cloud Premier Partner, helping Customers master security, infrastructure, and app development in Chicago. Lauren is also passionate about the neurodiverse community and served many years on the Board of Directors, and remains actively involved at Oak Hill Academy in Dallas. Oak Hill Academy is designed around a neurodiverse learning approach that focuses on a multi-sensory model.

Lauren graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management & Marketing—where her love for technology began. In her spare time, Lauren likes to ski, read, hang with her dogs, and spend time with her family.

Elizabeth A. Bryant

Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer

Elizabeth Bryant is Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines, where she helps shape and execute a people strategy that engages the hearts and minds of Southwest Employees and strengthens the Culture that sets Southwest apart. She leads the enterprise People (Human Resources) organization, including People, Talent & Organizational Development, Total Rewards, and Southwest Airlines University. Over her Southwest career, she has built a comprehensive Human Resources organization and led enterprise initiatives such as training centralization, workforce planning, performance management, SAP implementation, and AirTran integration.

Passionate about developing talent, Elizabeth focuses on building organizational frameworks that help all Employees grow and perform at their best. She serves on the Board of Directors for Commit Partnership and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and on the Board of Trustees at Hawaii Pacific University. She previously served on the Board of Visitors for The Catholic University of America School of Business and Economics. Her board service reflects a commitment to expanding community impact beyond the workplace.

Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Sacramento, and a master’s degree in Speech Communication from Indiana University. She and her husband live in Dallas and are proud parents of four children.

Jeff Novota

Senior Vice President Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary

As Senior Vice President Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary at Southwest Airlines, Jeff leads the Company’s Legal, Labor Relations, and Governmental Affairs functions. In addition to holding responsibility for all legal matters affecting Southwest Airlines, he oversees the Company’s advocacy and relations with government officials, regulatory agencies, and labor groups. He also provides legal advice and strategic guidance to the Company's Senior Management Committee and Board of Directors. 

Prior to this role, Jeff served as Vice President General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, advising senior management and the Board of Directors and overseeing all legal practice areas, including corporate governance, securities, compliance, commercial transactions, general corporate, labor and employment, and litigation matters. Jeff assumed the position of Vice President General Counsel & Corporate Secretary in June 2024 after serving as Vice President Legal, Corporate & Transactions.

Prior to joining Southwest in 2011, Jeff practiced at a Chicago law firm where he concentrated on transportation finance and regulatory matters. Jeff received a J.D. from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University. He holds an FAA commercial multi-engine pilot certificate.

Jeff and his wife are the proud parents of three children.