Lisa Atherton, president and CEO of Bell, a Textron company, has been named as a candidate to join the board of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, the world’s largest low-cost air carrier.
Atherton, along with other board nominees, will be on the ballot at the company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 15.
“Lisa’s broad range of leadership experience, along with her service to our country in the Air Force, will be a tremendous benefit to our board,” Gary Kelly, executive chairman of the board for Southwest Airlines, said in a statement. “Her vast knowledge of aviation, government requirements, regulations, and budgeting, combined with her expertise leading highly complex programs and strategic initiatives, will be valuable as we continue to add diversity of thought and experience to our talented board. We’re looking forward to working with her.”
Atherton is a member of Textron’s executive leadership team, overseeing a multibillion-dollar business that provides innovative products for defense and commercial customers across the globe.
Prior to assuming her role as president and CEO, Atherton was the chief operating officer of Bell. In 2017, she was named the president and chief executive officer of Textron Systems, providing innovative solutions to the defense, aerospace, and general aviation markets.
During her time at Bell, Atherton has served the role of EVP of Military Business and VP of Global Military Development. She also held several positions within Bell’s Military Programs division, including V-22 program manager and director of Military Programs.
Before Bell, Atherton was the vice president of Area Attack at Textron Systems, where she also served as the vice president of business development.
Before joining Textron, Atherton spent eight years as Air Combat Command’s Directorate of Requirements, helping to shape the budget and operational requirements and needs for the Combat Air Forces, and was a contracting officer in the U.S. Air Force.
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