How Southwest’s CIO modernized the airline through turbulent times
Prior to coming to Southwest, Woods worked in consulting, an experience she feels helped make her the leader she is today.
Prior to coming to Southwest, Woods worked in consulting, an experience she feels helped make her the leader she is today. As part of that work, Woods became very familiar with navigating situations in which she was the only woman in the room — a reality she says she has never shied away from. As she has advanced her career, Woods has made a point to identify leaders she can learn from, as well as those she doesn’t want to emulate. Despite working in a male-dominated industry, Woods says she’s also been fortunate to have several women leaders who came before her at Southwest, including Kathleen Merrill, who was VP of strategy when Woods joined 14 years ago, as well as EVP and CFO Tammy Romo, Chief Administration Officer Lunda Rutherford, and SVP of Customer Experience Teresa Laraba.
“What was amazing about Southwest was that when I came in, there was a good amount of female leadership. That was a wonderful opportunity for me as a young leader to come in and say, ‘Okay, I see myself there.’”
That representation proved to be a cornerstone as Woods developed her leadership style, and seeing other women leaders in the organization helped her envision a similar path forward for herself. She found herself drawn to authentic leaders, especially women who weren’t concerned with being “perfect,” and who showed up as their true selves at work.
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