A group of ACU staff and alumni gathered at ACU’s Dallas campus in Addison, Texas, in August to celebrate Katie Coldwell (’00), one of the university’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Citation recipients.
Coldwell’s friends and colleagues celebrated not only her successes at Southwest Airlines, where she serves as communications director, but the journey she has taken to achieve them.
“Katie has built a career centered on authenticity, connection and care for every employee and customer at Southwest Airlines,” Craig Fisher (’92), assistant vice president for alumni and university relations, said at the event. 
As communications director, Coldwell pursues Southwest Airlines’ mission to “connect people to what’s important in their lives” by leading the corporate communication team in creating the company’s voice, educating and inspiring its more than 58,000 employees, and fostering the unique and outstanding reputation for which the organization is known.

Coldwell sees her work as an act of service to her customers, her Southwest family and her community, and her experience at ACU continues to inspire her career and volunteerism. She is a 15-year board member of Dry Bones Denver, an urban mission among homeless teens and young adults in Colorado’s largest city, and she volunteers with teenagers at her home church, Prestoncrest Church of Christ.
“Through her service to Southwest customers, her community and her ACU family, Katie models generosity, excellence and servant leadership,” Fisher said. “We’re proud of you and the work you’re doing in the world, and we’re proud that you’re a Wildcat.”
Click here to read more about Coldwell, and click here to read profiles of past Distinguished Alumni Citation and other alumni award recipients.