FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines announced today Mecole “Cole” Brown will join the airline as Chief People Officer. In this role, Brown will lead all aspects of the airline’s People organization, including the teams supporting Global Talent and Recruitment, Benefits and Compensation, People Operations and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She will report to Elise Eberwein, Executive Vice President of People and Global Engagement.
“Cole is an extraordinary leader and the right person to lead American’s People function as we recover from a global pandemic and welcome our customers back to American Airlines,” Eberwein said. “Her experience with large, multi-national service businesses will translate well into the airline industry, and the breadth and depth of her human resources experience will support our coworkers in the best way possible. Above all, Cole has a servant leader’s mindset that complements American’s mission to care for people on life’s journey.”
Brown most recently served as Vice President, Human Resources for Amazon’s Devices & Services, Corporate & Business Development, and Advertising & Entertainment business segments. Prior to this role, she was Amazon’s Vice President of Human Resources for North America Customer Fulfillment. In these roles, she served as each business’s chief human resources officer with responsibility for all aspects of human resources, including recruiting, organizational design, training and development, diversity and inclusion and employee relations.
Prior to Amazon, Brown served as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Conifer Health Solutions. Her experience also includes serving as Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Walmart U.S. Stores Operations, which is that company’s largest business segment. Before that, she also served as the Chief Diversity Officer for Walmart, Inc. Prior to joining Walmart in its Legal Department, Brown practiced as an attorney specializing in the area of employment law and administrative regulations with Bashen Consulting, Wickliff & Hall, P.C. and Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson, L.L.P.
Brown holds both a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.