Rebecca Gernhardt Cox
American businesswoman
Rebecca Gernhardt Cox (née Chase Gernhardt, previously Range; born October 23, 1954) is an American business executive and former Director of the Office of Public Liaison during the administration of President Ronald Reagan.
Career
Until the 2010 merger of Continental Airlines and United Airlines, Rebecca Cox was the Senior Vice President of Continental Airlines, Inc. She joined Continental in January 1989, and currently serves as a consultant to United Airlines, the successor company. During her tenure as an executive with Continental, the airline emerged from bankruptcy and rose from being ranked last in every measurable performance category to winning more J. D. Power and Associates awards for Customer Satisfaction than any other airline in the world. As of 2010, Continental was the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline in rankings by Fortune magazine, and had received this distinction every year from 2004 to 2009.
In 1993, while Cox was a top Continental executive, President George H. W. Bush appointed her to serve as a Commissioner on the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, responsible for the closure of excess military installations. Subsequently, President Bill Clinton appointed her to the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, making her the only person to serve as a member of two Base Closure Commissions.
Before joining Continental, Cox served in the White House as Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Liaison. In this capacity, she was responsible for leading President Ronald Reagan's primary outreach effort to the private sector.
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