As Southwest Airlines Employees, we consider our Coworkers as Family, drawn together by our common Purpose and Vision. But there are some Employees who are linked by more than that—they’re united by the branches of their family tree.
In honor of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day today, here are some Southwest Airlines Employees who “brought” their sons or daughters to work in the long-term sense of the word. Because they brought their son or daughter to work, these Employees now have the chance to have their family members be a part of their Southwest Family.
Mitzie James, currently a Customer Service Agent in Lubbock, previously worked as an Administrative Assistant for Colleen Barrett from 1984-1987, and she introduced her son, Jared Brown, to the Team at the office. Jared now works at Southwest Airlines as a Documentation Specialist in Customer Support and Services (CS&S).
Vickie Shuler, Executive Assistant in the Executive Office, brought her two daughters, Tara and Tiffani Shuler to work at Southwest Airlines as Flight Attendants—her two daughters were even in the same Inflight Class and are now both based in Baltimore!
Melanie Jones, Senior Advisor in Communication and Outreach, has made a career at Southwest Airlines for the past 28 years, and brought her son, Gordon Jones, to work at Southwest in 2011 as a Ramp Agent in Austin.
LUV Couple, Sandy and Jon Shubert, created a LUV Family, when they brought their daughter, Hillary Shubert, Customer Relations Senior Representative, to work at Southwest Airlines.
Top: Hillary, pictured here with her brother, Garrett, is a sure “fit” at SWA! Bottom: Hillary and Sandy
Pat Stock, a Customer Service Agent in Dallas, brought both of her children—Christina Berryhill Malquist, who is a Flight Attendant, and her son, David Berryhill, a Ramp Agent in Dallas—to work at Southwest Airlines. Christina recently married Dallas Ramp Agent, Rick Malquist, in January, so maybe their children will work for Southwest one day!
Erica Wotton, Senior Crew Scheduler in Flight Operations, came to work at Southwest Airlines alongside her father, Dave Wotton, who serves as Director of Automation in Flight Operations. She was exposed to Southwest Culture from a young age when she attended the Employee for a Day event at the Dallas Station, and the Chili Cookoff in 1995.
Father and son Employees, both named Wayne Dacosta, not only share a name, but also a LUV for Southwest Airlines. Wayne, Sr., is Manager of Airworthiness Directive Compliance in Tech Ops and his son, Wayne, is a Ramp Agent in Orlando. Wayne, Sr., began his career at AirTran and brought his son to work there in 2006. Prior to the AirTran acquisition in May 2011, Wayne, Jr., joined the Southwest Airlines Team, and brought his father to work at Southwest in 2012—how’s that for a twist!
Top: Wayne, Jr., at work in Orlando. Bottom: Wayne, Sr., while working at AirTran.
Kami Gaffin has worked at Southwest Airlines as a Flight Attendant since 2006, and LUVs her job so much that she inspired her daughter, Kelcy Puls, to take to skies as a Flight Attendant, as well.
Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards Director, Wayne Shaw, brought his son, Trey, to work at Southwest Airlines starting as a Customer Relations/Rapid Reward representative, Trey now works as an Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP) Ramp Supervisor in Nashville.
Ground Operations Senior Manager of Administration, Kim Ramirez, and her children Kristina Snyder, Assistant Manager in Online Marketing; Jeremy Ramirez, Flight Operations Automation Specialist; and Robbie Ramirez, Revenue Management Analyst, keep work all in the Family at Southwest Airlines.
Top: All three Ramirez children followed in their parent's footsteps. Bottom: Kim and Robbie at the Red River Rivalry Plane Pull at the Dallas Hangar, one month after Robbie was hired.
While “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” may be a one-day event for some folks, at Southwest Airlines, we’re thrilled to have celebrate this opportunity in the long run!
Do you currently have a parent, son, or daughter who works at Southwest Airlines? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below and post photos of you and your family on social media and use #SWApic.
David (Bubba) Edens is a retired SWA Pilot, who now works in Flight Operations, and his son Erik Edens currently is a First Officer. In 1995, Erik was in attendance to pick up the California One specialty plane, which Bubba piloted. Since then, Erik and Bubba have had the chance to share the cockpit on a few Southwest Airlines flights.
Vickie Shuler, Executive Assistant in the Executive Office, brought her two daughters, Tara and Tiffani Shuler to work at Southwest Airlines as Flight Attendants—her two daughters were even in the same Inflight Class and are now both based in Baltimore!
Melanie Jones, Senior Advisor in Communication and Outreach, has made a career at Southwest Airlines for the past 28 years, and brought her son, Gordon Jones, to work at Southwest in 2011 as a Ramp Agent in Austin.
LUV Couple, Sandy and Jon Shubert, created a LUV Family, when they brought their daughter, Hillary Shubert, Customer Relations Senior Representative, to work at Southwest Airlines.
Top: Hillary, pictured here with her brother, Garrett, is a sure “fit” at SWA! Bottom: Hillary and Sandy
Pat Stock, a Customer Service Agent in Dallas, brought both of her children—Christina Berryhill Malquist, who is a Flight Attendant, and her son, David Berryhill, a Ramp Agent in Dallas—to work at Southwest Airlines. Christina recently married Dallas Ramp Agent, Rick Malquist, in January, so maybe their children will work for Southwest one day!
Erica Wotton, Senior Crew Scheduler in Flight Operations, came to work at Southwest Airlines alongside her father, Dave Wotton, who serves as Director of Automation in Flight Operations. She was exposed to Southwest Culture from a young age when she attended the Employee for a Day event at the Dallas Station, and the Chili Cookoff in 1995.
Father and son Employees, both named Wayne Dacosta, not only share a name, but also a LUV for Southwest Airlines. Wayne, Sr., is Manager of Airworthiness Directive Compliance in Tech Ops and his son, Wayne, is a Ramp Agent in Orlando. Wayne, Sr., began his career at AirTran and brought his son to work there in 2006. Prior to the AirTran acquisition in May 2011, Wayne, Jr., joined the Southwest Airlines Team, and brought his father to work at Southwest in 2012—how’s that for a twist!
Top: Wayne, Jr., at work in Orlando. Bottom: Wayne, Sr., while working at AirTran.
Kami Gaffin has worked at Southwest Airlines as a Flight Attendant since 2006, and LUVs her job so much that she inspired her daughter, Kelcy Puls, to take to skies as a Flight Attendant, as well.
Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards Director, Wayne Shaw, brought his son, Trey, to work at Southwest Airlines starting as a Customer Relations/Rapid Reward representative, Trey now works as an Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP) Ramp Supervisor in Nashville.
Ground Operations Senior Manager of Administration, Kim Ramirez, and her children Kristina Snyder, Assistant Manager in Online Marketing; Jeremy Ramirez, Flight Operations Automation Specialist; and Robbie Ramirez, Revenue Management Analyst, keep work all in the Family at Southwest Airlines.
Top: All three Ramirez children followed in their parent's footsteps. Bottom: Kim and Robbie at the Red River Rivalry Plane Pull at the Dallas Hangar, one month after Robbie was hired.
While “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” may be a one-day event for some folks, at Southwest Airlines, we’re thrilled to have celebrate this opportunity in the long run!
Do you currently have a parent, son, or daughter who works at Southwest Airlines? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below and post photos of you and your family on social media and use #SWApic.