SEATTLE, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alaska Airlines
board of directors has elected three new company officers:
Constance von Muehlen, senior vice
president of maintenance and engineering; Ron Calvin, vice president of inflight; and
Jenny Wetzel, vice president of
labor relations.
Beginning Jan. 21, von Muehlen
will lead Alaska's maintenance and
engineering employees, and all safety, compliance and operational
performance of the airline's mainline Boeing and Airbus fleet. Most
recently, von Muehlen led Horizon Air's operational performance
strategy as the airline's chief operating officer, where she
oversaw the customer service, inflight, pilot, maintenance and
system operations control teams. Prior to Horizon, von Muehlen was
Alaska's managing director of
airframe, engine and component maintenance.
"Constance is a strong leader who brings nearly 30 years of
industry experience with her to our maintenance and engineering
division, along with extensive knowledge of both the Airbus and
Boeing fleets," said Ben
Minicucci, Alaska's president and chief operating
officer. "Her focus on safety, operational excellence and our
people places Constance in a strong position to lead the
division."
Before joining Alaska, von
Muehlen spent 20 years in aviation maintenance leadership roles at
Pratt and Whitney and Air Canada. She
received her initial leadership training as a captain in the U.S.
Army serving tours of duty as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot in
Germany, Iraq, Turkey
and South Korea. She holds a
bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins
University and a certificate in Executive Leadership
Training from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. She recently completed an
executive MBA at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.
Calvin is an Alaska Airlines veteran with more than 32 years of
service. In his new role, he'll provide strategic and operational
leadership for the inflight division, working with our outstanding
flight attendants who – day after day – make our guests' journeys
remarkable with the genuine, caring service Alaska is known for.
Calvin joined the company in 1986 as a customer service agent.
Over the following years, he was promoted to various positions at
the airline in California,
Seattle and Washington, D.C. He became Alaska's managing director of inflight
operations in 2012, responsible for nearly 6,000 flight attendants
and overseeing a leadership team of 60 employees.
"Ron has a strong operational background. He has invested a
sizeable amount of his professional career at airports across the
country while working for Alaska,
which will be an asset in his new position," said Minicucci. "He
also embodies the Alaska spirit
and our values as we continue creating an airline people love."
Calvin holds a bachelor's degree from San
Jose State University, and an executive master's degree from
Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. He transitioned
into his new role on Jan. 16.
As vice president of labor relations, Wetzel will serve as the
strategic executive advisor on all labor relations efforts. She
will be responsible for all labor matters at Alaska Airlines and
lead the collective bargaining process for the airline. She joins
Alaska Airlines from Kaiser Permanente and before that Group Health
in Seattle where she was the vice
president of employee and labor relations since 2015.
"We're excited to have Jenny join the Alaska leadership team. She not only has
nearly 13 years of experience working effectively with represented
employee groups, she brings a style that emphasizes positive
relationships, trust and transparency with labor leaders and
employees that matches seamlessly with Alaska's philosophy on labor relations," said
Shane Tackett, executive vice
president planning and strategy.
Wetzel has a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington, and a law degree from
Gonzaga University School of Law. She
is licensed by the Washington
State Bar Association. She begins her new role Feb. 11.
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 44 million guests
a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily
flights across the United States
and to Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. With Alaska and
Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights
to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked
"Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in
North America" in the J.D. Power
North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 11 consecutive years
from 2008 to 2018. Learn about Alaska's award-winning service at
newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines,
Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group
(NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines
