10 Southwest Airlines operations leaders
Steve Goldberg, Senior Vice President Operations and Hospitality at Southwest Airlines, is one of ten Southwest Airlines operations leaders listed here, alongside people who hold or have held air, ground, inflight and network operations roles at the company. A reader can learn how operations leaders work at Southwest Airlines from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Adam Schofield
LinkedInExperience: Vice President - Network Operations Control · Southwest Airlines
Vice President - Network Operations Control at Southwest Airlines since June 2026, based in Grapevine, Texas; Adam Schofield also lists Managing Director - Network Operations since November 2025. Former Managing Director - Operations Implementation (2023–2025), Managing Director - Operations Portfolio and Alignment (2022–2023) and Sr. Manager - NOC Products (2019–2022) at Southwest Airlines.
Cole McGuire
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Ground Operations · Southwest Airlines
Vice President Ground Operations at Southwest Airlines since November 2025, based in Dallas; the role entry describes leadership of more than 25,000 Ground Operations Employees in over 100 locations. Former Vice President Ground Operations Strategy & Planning (2022–2025), Senior Director Operations Strategy and Performance (2019–2022) and Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (2016–2018) at Southwest Airlines.
Courtney Schatzberg
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Operations Strategy and Design · Southwest Airlines
Vice President Operations Strategy and Design at Southwest Airlines since June 2025, based in Dallas. Former Director of Financial Planning and Analysis - Technical Operations (2022–2025), Manager Financial Planning & Analysis - Profitability (2018–2022) and Business Consultant (2015–2018) at Southwest Airlines.
Lee Kinnebrew
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Flight Operations · Southwest Airlines
Vice President Flight Operations at Southwest Airlines since March 2022, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Lee Kinnebrew also lists Director of Flight Operations Training since 2015 and a Captain role since 2004, and was Senior Director Training and Standards (2018–2022) and ASAP Manager (2011–2015) at Southwest Airlines.
RJ White
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Ground Operations Strategy & Planning · Southwest Airlines
Vice President, Ground Operations Strategy & Planning at Southwest Airlines since December 2025, based in Dallas. Former Managing Director (2024–2025) and Director (2022–2024) of Ground Operations Planning & Performance, Senior Manager - Operational Strategy & Planning (2019–2022) and Manager - Operational Performance Reliability Analytics (2018–2019) at Southwest Airlines.
Sam Ford
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Operational Strategy & Performance · Southwest Airlines
Vice President, Operational Strategy & Performance at Southwest Airlines since February 2021, based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area; the role entry describes leading the team responsible for development and alignment of operational strategy. Former Managing Director (2018–2021) and Senior Director (2017–2018) of Operational Strategy & Performance and Director - Operational Performance & Analysis (2015–2017) at Southwest Airlines.
Sonya Lacore
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Inflight Operations · Southwest Airlines
Vice President, Inflight Operations at Southwest Airlines since November 2015, based in Dallas. Former Senior Director Onboard Experience and Support (2013–2015), Senior Director Base Operations (2009–2013), Inflight Regional Director (2008–2009) and Inflight Base Manager (2007–2008) at Southwest Airlines.
Steve Christl
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President Air Operations · Southwest Airlines
Senior Vice President Air Operations at Southwest Airlines since March 2025, based in Dallas; the profile headline also names a Director of Operations role. Steve Christl also lists Vice President Operations Strategy & Design since December 2023 and an Airline Captain role since 2004, and was Vice President Operations Strategy & Implementation (2022–2024) and Senior Director Regulatory Operations NOC (2012–2022) at Southwest Airlines.
Steve Goldberg
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President Operations and Hospitality · Southwest Airlines
Senior Vice President Operations and Hospitality at Southwest Airlines since October 2017, based in Dallas, a role the profile tags at the president and vice president level in operations. Steve Goldberg was also Vice President Ground Operations at Southwest Airlines from January to October 2017.
Steve Murtoff
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Inflight Operations · Southwest Airlines
Vice President, Inflight Operations at Southwest Airlines since June 2023, based in Dallas; Steve Murtoff also lists Managing Director, Inflight Operations since 2014. Former Director, Inflight Operations (2010–2014), Base Manager of the PHX Inflight Base (2008–2010) and Assistant Base Manager there (2007–2008) at Southwest Airlines.
Choose the right perspective
Choose the person whose title names the operations area or region closest to your decision, and note whether the role is current and when it began. Weigh scope too, because a leader with company-wide duties and one running a single site or market see different parts of the work.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What took most of your time in your current operations role, and what did you change first?
- 02How did you balance day-to-day performance against longer-term improvement work?
- 03What did you carry over from earlier roles that changed how you run operations?
Reaching Southwest Airlines operations leaders
How can I contact one of these Southwest Airlines operations leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Southwest Airlines, based on profile data retrieved on October 17, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Southwest Airlines operations leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Southwest Airlines operations leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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