At a time when the airline industry is under assault from skyrocketing fuel prices and a sluggish U.S. economy, it's hard to imagine that a talk by the president of the leading American carrier would not be dominated by discussions of job cutbacks, reduced routes and higher fares. But then there aren't too many major airline executives like Southwest Airlines' Colleen Barrett, 63, who rose from legal secretary to president over a span of 23 years."