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John E. “Ned” Walker (Houston, TX) is senior vice president of Worldwide Corporate Communications for Continental Airlines, Inc. In this role, he oversees corporate communications in 134 cities in 46 countries. He is responsible for public relations, employee communications, community affairs, corporate events and media services. Walker is also a member of the airline’s management committee.
The airline’s 44,000 employees serve nearly 45 million passengers each year. In 2006, for the third consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine ranked Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline in its annual list of Most Admired Global Companies.
Walker joined Continental in April 1987 and has held numerous positions in the communications department, including senior director, staff vice president and vice president of Corporate Communications.
Walker began his aviation career as director of Corporate Communications for a Frontier Airlines’ subsidiary, Frontier Horizon. In this role, he was responsible for employee communications, public relations and government affairs.
Walker had previously been with The Chicago Tribune-owned KWGN-TV in Denver, and he held several positions including reporter, weekend anchor and assistant news director. Prior to that, he was news director for KLMO Radio, an ABC affiliate in the Denver metropolitan area.
Walker serves on the board of directors for the Houston-based Theater Under the Stars. He was chairman of the visitor relations subcommittee for the Super Bowl XXXVIII Host Committee and is the former vice chairman of the Travel Industry Association of America’s communications committee.
In 1996, Walker was named Employee Communications All-Star by Inside PR and was recognized for helping to transform Continental’s once authoritarian corporate culture into a more employee-friendly environment.
Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He lives in Houston with his wife and family.