APAICS | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

Kim Delevett

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Corporate Community Affairs Manager
Southwest Airlines

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Biography

Kim Delevett is a Southwest Airlines Corporate Community Affairs Manager, charged with forging high-profile relationships with nonprofit, business, and political organizations to positively impact the diverse communities Southwest serves. Her mission is to support educational, political, and economic development programs in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, focusing on key areas such as leadership and social advocacy. On a national level, Kim is also Southwest’s first Corporate Community Affairs Manager to be primarily responsible for supporting the Asian Pacific American community.

Kim launched her career at Southwest in 1996 and has moved through a variety of roles, including eight years as the company’s San Jose/Silicon Valley Marketing Manager.  Through her community work, she contributed to Southwest’s efforts to repeal the federal Wright Amendment, for which she received one of the company’s highest awards from Southwest’s president.  Kim also played a key role in ensuring the company’s continued presence at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, where Southwest is the dominant air carrier.  She joined the Corporate Community Affairs team in 2007.

Kim’s work has won her kudos within Southwest and in the community, and she has been profiled in mainstream and ethnic media. She is especially passionate about making a difference in the lives of our future leaders – from mentoring high school students to teaching Junior Achievement classes to supporting efforts that help youth become civically engaged. Kim has also been active with efforts to preserve culture, heritage, and historic communities throughout the country. More recently, she received a community historian award for her Vietnam War oral history documentary, which aims to preserve an important part of America’s history and educate future generations.

Kim is one of Southwest’s official blog writers and spearheads the company’s local giving board for the Oakland area.  She has served on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Santa Clara County and Viet Heritage Society, and currently serves the Asian American community through numerous boards and advisory councils including the Organization for Chinese Americans, the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, and the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute, to name a few.

Kim was born in Saigon, Vietnam and fled the country with her older brother in April 1975.  They were raised by an adoptive family in Pensacola, Florida. Kim earned a B.A. with honors in communications and a minor in political science from Loyola University of New Orleans.  Kim and her husband Peter, an editor at the San Jose Mercury News, moved to San Jose in 1998 from New Orleans.  Kim enjoys spending time with her family and watching her 19-month-old, James Phan, discover the world. Kim’s hobbies include globe trotting and photography, and her travel photos have been published in the Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times and online at WorldHum.com.

 

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