Contributor
Kim Delevett
As a Southwest Airlines Corporate Community Affairs Manager, Kim helps build strategic alliances with local, regional, and national organizations, with a special emphasis on the Asian American community. From helping young people prepare for civic leadership to supporting efforts to revitalize New York’s Chinatown, Kim is passionate about making a difference in the communities Southwest serves. Kim was born in Saigon, Vietnam. She and her brother fled the country in April 1975 and were raised in Pensacola, Florida. One of Kim's favorite Southwest cities is New Orleans, home of her alma mater, Loyola University, and where she started her Southwest career in 1996. Prior to her current role, Kim spent eight years as Southwest’s San Jose/Silicon Valley Marketing Manager. Kim and her husband Peter, an editor at the San Jose Mercury News, welcomed their first child, James Phan, in August 2008. When Kim isn't trying to catch up on her sleep, she enjoys globe-trotting, watching James discover the world, and indulging in the simple pleasures of life - nonfat, tall, one-pump, chai lattes!
Recent Activity:
Recent Activity Posts
Keeping PACE with America’s Fastest Growing Ethnic Group
By: Kim Delevett 
May 03 2012
We're about to reunite with a very special group who won our hearts last year. In celebration of Southwest's big 4-0 last summer, we gave away 40 tickets to 40 nonprofits (for a total of 1,600 roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines). One of the lucky winners was the nonprofit organization Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE). It just so happens we're about to be at the... read more
The Flights of My Life
By: Kim Delevett
May 01 2011
I’ve waited 2 ½ years to share my feelings about this exact
moment in time.
My only child, James Phan Delevett, has now reached the same
age I was -- 2 ½ -- when I fled my homeland of Vietnam, in April 1975, and was separated
from my biological mother, Nuoi Thi Phan.
My 10-year-old brother and I would never see her again.My mother was supposed to be on the same flight with us, but
because... read more
Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: A Quote a Day
By: Kim Delevett
May 28 2011
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, our Employees, Customers, community partners, legends, and leaders share their thoughts about being Asian American & Pacific Islander:Tuesday, May 31: “I'm really not any important leader but would like to be a role model for the young people. I am proud of my heritage and thankful that my parents came to America where my... read more
ARE YOU READYYY…For Your Hell’s Kitchen Surprise?
By: Kim Delevett
Oct 13 2009
Well, tonight’s the big two-hour finale of Hell’s Kitchen, where we’ll see which chef Gordon Ramsay picks to run Araxi Restaurant in Whistler. The season’s flown by! It seems like just a few weeks ago that Kymberli and I were in L.A. for the taping of the season premiere, crying over spilled shrimp.
Since then, we’ve watched Dallas’ own Van Hurd fight his way into the top six; Joseph try to... read more
And the Hell's Kitchen winners are Chef Dave and our Southwest Facebook Fan...
By: Kim Delevett
Dec 01 2009
Well, the results are finally in, and a few event details have been confirmed--judging by your nearly 200 comments, there was unequivocally a favorite pick. By a wide margin, Dave was your favorite --and most importantly, Chef Ramsay’s, too. The “One-Armed Bandit” stole the competition, and I have to admit, I was rooting for him as well. What a fighter to the very suspenseful finish.
But... read more
Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Legends and Leaders
By: Kim Delevett
May 03 2010
Each May, our nation pays tribute to the contributions of generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched our history. Today, over 16 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up one of the fastest growing and most diverse populations in the United States. Each of the 45 distinct ethnic groups and 28 language groups contributes to the fabric of our nation. ... read more
Red Envelopes and Good Fortune
By: Kim Delevett
Feb 11 2010
Everyone knows February 14 is Valentine’s Day, your LUV Airline’s favorite holiday. But while you’re swapping red envelopes with love notes inside, millions of Asian Americans will be opening a different kind of red envelopes. That’s because the date also kicks off the Lunar New Year, and for the next 15 days, Asian people here and overseas will be celebrating the Year of the Tiger with... read more
‘Tis the Season for Change
By: Kim Delevett
Nov 23 2009
As I’m writing this post and getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday, I can watch the gold and orange leaves fall to the ground outside of my office. It doesn’t seem like over a year ago I wrote, “The ABC’s of the Southwest Airlines’ Corporate Community Affairs Team.” Time has zipped by, and I’m no longer the new kid on the block. As with the change of seasons, the team has a few exciting... read more
A Golden Promise and A Hell’s Kitchen Surprise!
By: Kim Delevett
Jul 27 2009
Last year, after the Golden Globes were canceled, I wrote that my friend Kymberli Brady promised to invite me to the 2009 Globes.
Well, she fulfilled her promise, and we hopped on a Southwest plane to attend the Golden Globes, followed by a string of after parties! But the (temporary) life of a movie star didn’t stop there. Kymberli’s brother, Kent Weed, happens to be the executive... read more
Honoring the Service of Those Who Served Honorably
By: Kim Delevett
May 22 2009
On August 9, 2008, four days before the birth of my son James, I waddled to the “Road to Redress and Reparations” Forum that was presented by the San Jose Japanese American Citizens League, Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, and San Jose City College. The event commemorated the 25th Anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s signing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the legislation that officially... read more
