Happy Birthday to Colleen C. Barrett, founder of the Institute for Cultural Excellence & Customer Service

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Happy Birthday to Colleen C. Barrett, founder of the Institute for Cultural Excellence & Customer Service

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The Colleen C. Barrett Institute for Cultural Excellence & Customer Service

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Legacy

Colleen’s legacy lives on through Employee programs, unique awards, and volunteerism initiatives that began with her vision and continue to represent her core values and Heart for service. Here, we celebrate her lasting impact on the Southwest Family and beyond.

Colleen’s Impact - From the Voice of Others

Colleen’s legacy is evident from the many stories that pour in from Southwest Leaders, Employees, Customers, and others outside of the organization. Here is just a sampling.
Robert Frost said, 'Isn't it a shame that people's minds work furiously until they get to work, and then they stop.' Well at Southwest Airlines®, they worked furiously when they're at work, and they work creatively, and they work imaginatively, and Colleen has been a big proponent from the very beginning of flexibility for Employees.
- Herb Kelleher​, Southwest Founder and Chairman Emeritus
Herb and Colleen came through OAK Ops when I was a new hire in 1994. I was actually a transplant from the Morris Air acquisition. Colleen’s warm and welcoming personality helped assuage any fears and uncertainty I had during my transition to the Southwest Family. A letter she sent to me 24 years later was permeated with the exact same warmth and LUV®. The true heart of SWA!
- Greg Lynn, Southwest Coheart
I was a mechanic and was on the airplane fixing a problem while everyone was boarding. I was exiting the cockpit and ran into Colleen who was boarding the flight. She shouted, ‘Hi John! It’s so good to see you! How are you?’ and gave me the biggest hug ever. I had never met her before, but she acted like I was her favorite son. I will never forget that LUV®!
- John Spence, Southwest Coheart
Colleen is the Heart and soul of Southwest Airlines. 9/11 was a really hard time for everyone, and I had Customers telling me how she reached out to them and made them want to fly again. We had passengers bringing us flowers. I knew someone on one of the planes that went down, and Colleen reached out to me.
- Kathleen Henckel Paveglio​, Southwest Coheart
When I started in Customer Relations in 2008, I remember hearing, ‘An Employee will never get in trouble for trying to do the right thing for a Customer.’ That kind of empowerment that came from Colleen is what makes our Customer Service admired around the world. I’ll never forget the first time I received a handwritten note on a Customer letter. It meant the world to me as a new Employee and I still have notes from Colleen nearly 13 years later.
- Rachel Barry, Southwest Coheart
Colleen has been the Heart and soul of Southwest Airlines from our earliest days. She is largely responsible for creating and nurturing the unique and special Culture that has defined Southwest Airlines and been the envy of corporate America for 50 years. And her passion and commitment to ensuring that our Employees provided Legendary Customer Service has made Southwest Airlines famous for our Hospitality. Her love for our Employees is an inspiration to us all, and we love her right back.
- Gary Kelly, Executive Chairman, Former Southwest Airlines CEO
Herb used to say that Colleen was many different people packaged into one body. That stuck with me, but over the years, I’ve seen every one of those people! Her loving side comes out when you have a life event or need a boost to your morale; her business side comes out when you need her opinion on something; her tough LUV comes out when you need a good course correction; and her playful side comes out when she knows you need a good distraction or a moment to de-stress.
- Linda Rutherford, Chief Administration Officer
I remember sitting in one of my first Companywide Culture Committee Meetings at HDQ and we were discussing an issue in the Field. The issue itself isn't important, it's how we solved it. Colleen was listening (which she does very well at) and she stood up and said, "Why are we continuing to talk about it - just change it! Do it. That's how we get things done." I've learned sometimes issues that arise can be solved easily by just changing your approach and just getting it done. There is no need for numerous meetings, polls, or one-on-one interviews. If everyone is on the same page, just do it and make it better.
- James Goodman, Southwest Coheart
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Celebrate People

Colleen’s legacy lives on through awards and celebrations that recognize individuals and Teams who champion the Southwest Culture and demonstrate Colleen’s core values and passion for service.

Learn about these celebrations

LUV Mail

Colleen’s passion for Customer Service lives on, as evidenced by LUV Mail. Each month, Southwest® gets hundreds of letters, emails, and phone calls from Customers, as well as Employees, sharing stories about our Southwest Warriors providing Legendary Customer Service and caring for others. LUV Mail highlights these extraordinary moments.

Read LUV Mail

Coheart Care

Southwest has always endeavored to treat everyone as though they are Family, but when it comes to our own People, Colleen had an extra special place in her Heart. That love was transformed into action over 20 years ago when she established a unique Team within the Executive Office solely dedicated to caring for the Southwest Family. Originally called “Internal Customer Care” (now “Coheart Care”), this small Team exists to bridge the gap between work and home for Southwest Employees. Strong families care for one another through good times and the most difficult moments. That spirit is captured in this excerpt from the Coheart Care message to new Employees:

“…Whether you’re expanding your family, celebrating a child graduating from high school or college, preparing for surgery, navigating grief after loss or any other circumstance that is significant to you, we want to fly alongside you…the love of your Cohearts is something you can count on.”

Philanthropy

Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®)

One of the Company’s Pilots, Captain Dick East, introduced Colleen Barrett and Herb Kelleher to the Ronald McDonald House® program. East had been volunteering at Houses since the loss of his daughter to lymphoma. Instantly enamored with the program’s mission, Barrett and Kelleher encouraged Employees company wide to become involved. Then in February 1985, Southwest officially adopted RMHC as its primary charity.

Southwest’s dedication to the Ronald McDonald House grew as rapidly as the airline itself. Southwest not only devotes its heart and soul to the Charity, but it also provided financial assistance through its annual LUV Classic Tournament and Party. The golf tournament originated in 1985 as a fundraiser for a popular Dallas club owner who was battling cancer. When the owner donated the excess funds to the Dallas Ronald McDonald House, Southwest followed his lead. All proceeds in subsequent years were donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities and eventually expanded to support children’s charities across the Southwest system. The LUV Classic played its final round in 2020 on the 35th Anniversary of the event, having raised a total of $19.1 million for 213 charities and contributed over 54,000 hours of Employee volunteer time. Southwest Employees continue to volunteer their time and resources supporting local Ronald McDonald Houses across the Southwest system.

Learn more about RMHC

Becker College

In 2018, Becker College launched The Colleen C. Barrett Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The Center served as an epicenter of innovation, entrepreneurship, learning agility, leadership, and problem-solving on the Becker campus in Worcester, MA. The Center was made possible by the visionary gift of $1 million from Colleen, who passionately supported her alma mater since her graduation in 1964.

In 2008, Southwest celebrated Colleen’s transition to President Emeritus by endowing a scholarship at Becker College in her honor. The Colleen C. Barrett Scholarship Fund awarded $2,500 annually to a freshman enrolled at Becker for the fall semester. In addition to meeting certain academic requirements and federally-determined financial needs, the recipient must have exhibited strong communication skills and possess a “Servant’s Heart,” demonstrated through meaningful service to charitable organizations or their community. Although Becker College closed in the spring of 2021, Colleen remained grateful for her ability to support her alma mater over the years and was so proud of the students who benefitted from Southwest’s generous scholarship.

Adopt-A-Pilot®

Adopt-A-Pilot was one of Colleen’s favorite programs for connecting Southwest with local communities. Southwest Pilots volunteer to be “adopted” by an elementary school class and educate them on all things related to being a commercial airline pilot–including following the Pilot on a virtual route map during their trips.

Learn more about Adopt-A-Pilot

Explore Colleen's Life

Explore Colleen's Leadership

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