Gary C. Kelly height - How tall is Gary C. Kelly?

On February 18, 2020, Gary Kelly was named as the recipient of the 2020 Philanthropic Leadership Award from The Ireland Funds.

As CEO, Kelly has guided the airline to become the largest carrier of domestic passengers in the United States. He has led the company through a number of transformative, large-scale initiatives including the revamp of the airline’s Rapid Rewards program, the introduction of the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX aircraft to Southwest’s fleet, the acquisition of AirTran Airways, the launching of Southwest's first international service, an update to the airline’s branding, the adoption of the Amadeus reservation system, and large expansion projects at the company’s corporate headquarters in Dallas.

On January 10, 2017, Kelly announced changes to the Company's executive Leadership ranks with Thomas M. Nealon named as President and Michael G. Van de Ven named as the airline's Chief Operating Officer. These changes were effective immediately. Kelly retained the title of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

In 2017, Fortune named Kelly the #3 most underrated CEO in America (after Satya Nadella and Jeff Bezos) based on a survey of Fortune 500 CEOs asking them which of their fellow CEOs do not get enough credit. Kelly received 85 votes.

Kelly was the 2016 recipient of the Tony Jannus Award for distinguished achievement in commercial air transportation.

In 2014, Kelly received the Advertising Innovation and Marketing Excellence (AIME) Award.

Kelly was named Chairman of the Board of Directors of Southwest Airlines on May 21, 2008, replacing co-founder Herb Kelleher. Gary Kelly also became president of Southwest Airlines the same year, replacing Colleen Barrett when her contract expired on July 15, 2008.

Kelly was named one of the best CEOs in America for 2008, 2009 and 2010 by Institutional Investor magazine and serves on the President's Council of Jobs and Competitiveness.

Kelly first joined Southwest Airlines in 1986 as a controller. In 1989, Kelly was promoted to Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance. In 2001, he was promoted to Executive Vice President. Kelly spent 3 years in this role until he was promoted to his current position as CEO and vice chairman in 2004 replacing James Parker who succeeded Herb Kelleher in 2001.

Kelly first met his wife Carol in eighth grade. They married in 1976. Together, they have two daughters.

Gary Clayton Kelly (born March 12, 1955) is an American business executive. He is the chief executive officer and chairman at Southwest Airlines.

Kelly was born in San Antonio on March 12, 1955. Kelly received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Certified Public Accountant.