Linda Valdez Thompson is the Executive Vice President of Administration and Diversity at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport since 2001, Linda provides strategic leadership for the Human Resources, Procurement and Materials Management, Risk Management, Business Diversity and Development, and Corporate Communications & Marketing functions.
Linda has established employee engagement initiatives to ensure the workforce is productive, healthy, diverse, and inclusive. These initiatives include employee resource groups, mentoring networks, learning and development opportunities, and a Total Rewards strategy. She has also championed the Airport’s Wellness program with an on-site fitness facility and medical clinic. Additionally, Linda has established an award-winning supplier diversity program.
During her professional career, Linda has acquired more than 20 years of managerial and executive experience for such Fortune 500 companies as Levi Strauss, Hasbro, and Baxter Health Care. Her responsibilities have included multi-site, domestic and international locations.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Midwestern State University and a Masters in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. Linda is a Certified Senior Human Resources Professional (SPHR), a Certified Compensation Professional, a Certified Benefit Professional, and a Certified Global Remuneration Professional. She is a Certified Corporate Citizenship Professional through Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship; and is a Certified Diversity Professional/Advanced Practitioner from Cornell University. Furthermore, Linda is an alumni of the prestigious National Hispana Leadership Institute.
Linda has received several distinctions, including being named Woman of the Year by Hispanic Business Magazine, recognized as one of the top Latinas of influence by Latino Leaders Magazine, and named an Ultimate Latina by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She’s also been the recipient of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Award – Corporate Executive of the Year, the HR Diversity Excellence Award by the Society of Human Resources Management.