Juan Suarez

Vice President Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

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Vice President Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Juan Suarez is a trusted advisor and business practitioner in the areas of inclusion and belonging. Juan serves as Southwest Airlines' Executive-level champion for both internal and external DEI-related organizational goals and is responsible for creating and driving the development of diversity and inclusivity initiatives that align with Southwest's business objectives, policies, and practices. Juan partners closely with his peers throughout the organization on DEI efforts related to supplier diversity, diversity hiring and recruiting, training, and community outreach. He serves as the Executive Sponsor for the Diversity Council, leads Southwest's DEI Executive Steering Committee, and is an active member on both Southwest's Social Topics Committee and Employee Experience Design Team. 

Prior to his role as Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Juan served as Southwest's Managing Director, and Deputy General Counsel for six years. Before that, he held the position of Associate General Counsel-Labor & Employment for seven years and a labor and employment attorney for nine years. Before joining Southwest, Juan worked as an associate for a national law firm, a lobbyist for a Dallas-based heavy-steel manufacturing company, and a prosecutor with the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.

Juan values his ties to the community and seeks ways to give back through his personal engagement and involvement. Juan was the former Chair of the Board for Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity and remains an active member of the Board. Additionally, he currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Diversity Council and the Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation. Previously, Juan was a member of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce serving on the Diversity in Leadership Sub-Council. He also served as an Education Advocate for Dallas County Foster Youth, a Trustee for The Hockaday School, a member of the Board of Directors for Girl Scouts of Tejas Council for North Texas, and the Clayton Dabney Foundation for Kids with Cancer.
 
Juan graduated from Cornell University Law School with a Juris Doctorate and the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration. He holds an Executive Certification in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion from the National Diversity Council and is a graduate of Leadership Dallas through the Dallas Regional Chamber. In 2022, Juan was recognized with the Corporate Counsel Diversity Award by the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association.