Shelley Rae (Powell) Niemi was selected as dispatcher of the year by the president and CEO of Southwest Airlines. The recognition event was held at the OMNI hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Shelley was born and raised in La Crescenta, attended local elementary schools and graduated from Crescenta Valley High School in 1988. She went on to receive her AA degree from Pasadena Community College and her BA degree from UNLV. She has been with Southwest Airlines for 32 years having been assigned to various positions throughout the country. She presently is assigned to Love Field in Dallas, Texas.

A dispatcher handles a number of planes within a certain geographical area and is considered the equivalent of a pilot on the ground. The two are constantly in communication and discuss everything from weather conditions, fuel consumption and rerouting changes, to name a few. She recently saw a need for dispatchers and pilots to communicate more frequently in a classroom setting and as result created a curriculum to address these issues. The class has been well received by the pilots – most of who have attended.

Niemi is on the board of dispatchers worldwide as well. The board meets regularly throughout the year at various venues both in the states and in foreign countries.