Alaska Air Group has announced four new executive appointments across Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, effective this month.
- Nathan Engel has been elected vice president of maintenance operations at Alaska Airlines
- Carlos Zendejas has been promoted to senior vice president of operations at Horizon Air
- Chéri Ruger has been promoted to vice president of people, labour relations and inflight operations at Horizon Air
- Baron Converse has been promoted to vice president of maintenance and engineering at Horizon Air
As vice president of maintenance operations at Alaska Airlines, Engel will manage the long-term strategy and financial performance of the airline’s maintenance operations workgroup.
Engel’s 37-year career includes decades in maintenance and engineering leadership, with deep experience at Alaska and Horizon.
For the past year, he has served as the vice president of maintenance and engineering at Horizon.
Prior to Horizon, Engel served in executive maintenance and operations roles at both Alaska and Horizon.
He also worked for Amazon and, most recently, for Hawaiian Airlines as senior manager of maintenance in Seattle. He is also a US Air Force veteran.
Zendejas will oversee flight operations, maintenance and engineering and station operations.
He is a 35-year industry veteran who spent 22 years in the US Air Force. During his time at Alaska Air Group, he has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility.
Prior to joining Horizon in 2017, Zendejas served as Alaska Airlines’ Seattle base chief pilot, responsible for the day-to-day operations and performance of more than 1,000 pilots. He was promoted to Horizon vice president of flight operations in 2020.
Ruger will set the long-term strategy of people and labour relations initiatives to support Horizon’s business objectives.
In this newly created role, she will also be responsible for overseeing more than 600 flight attendants, leading the operational and financial performance of the workgroup.
Ruger’s career at Horizon Air began nearly 25 years ago as a flight attendant. Since then, she has held roles with increasing responsibility in HR supporting airport operations, customer service, inflight, and maintenance and engineering.
Most recently, she served as managing director of people and labour relations at Horizon Air.
Converse will succeed Engel as vice president of maintenance and engineering at Horizon Air and will be responsible for the long-term strategy and daily operational execution of the airline’s maintenance organisation.
Prior to this promotion, Converse served as managing director of maintenance operations and director of line maintenance and planning.
He has a 30-year career in aviation, having joined Horizon Air as an airframe and powerplant technician in 1994.