Tag: Allison Ausband

Fellow Profile: Allison Ausband

Posted on by Sarah Freeman
Grady Salutes will be virtual this year. Plan to join our celebration on Facebook and YouTube on Friday, April 16.

 

 Video credit: Atlanta Image Arts

Allison Ausband continues to use skills she learned when she was a Grady College journalism student.

“I use my education and the skills that I learned at Grady on a daily basis in my 35 year career at Delta,” Ausband said. “From the writing skills, to presenting in front of large audiences, to communicating more effectively, there is no doubt in my mind that these skills have helped propel me into my current position.”

Ausband is one of six people who will be inducted into the 2020 class of Grady Fellows, a recognition honoring friends of the college whose accomplishments, friendship and service to the industries they serve have made a positive impact on the college and its students.

In Ausband’s current role as senior vice president – in-flight service for Delta Air Lines, she leads a team of more than 26,000 flight attendants, supervisory and support personnel around the globe, as well as Delta’s onboard global food and beverage operation and experience.

Her key responsibilities include leading her team to ensure 200 million Delta customers have an enjoyable flight experience while maintaining a focus on safety.

In March 2019, Ausband was a panelist at Grady’s program, “Making Today’s Workplaces More Inclusive for Women.” (Photo: Sarah E. Freeman)

Ausband started her career at Delta in 1985 as a flight attendant, and has assumed increasingly more responsibility over the years. She has been instrumental in Delta’s growth, directing projects like the launch of Delta’s social media customer service model as well as a home-based employment program that creates a new virtual workforce culture yielding more than $2 million in savings each year.

In 2019 and 2020, she was named one of Atlanta’s most powerful business leaders by Atlanta Magazine.

Currently, Ausband is Delta’s executive sponsor for the fight against human trafficking through her role on the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education (GRACE) Commission. Under her leadership Delta has won Humanitarian of the Year Award by United Nations and was awarded “Strongest Global Campaign Fighting Trafficking” by Reuters in 2020 Stop Slavery Awards. She also leads Delta’s annual Breast Cancer Research Foundation campaign, which raised over $2 million dollars in 2019. She is a University of Georgia Board of Trustee, serves on the Board of Directors for Delta Community Credit Union and is on the Board of Trustees for the William R. and Sara Babb Smith Foundation. She is also an active member of her local church serving on the personnel committee.

In addition to Ausband, other members of the 2020 Fellowship class include Chris Clark (ABJ ’61), Eugenia Harvey (ABJ ’82), Carol Ramos-Helton (ABJ ’79) and Dick Helton, and Ken Woo (ABJ ’78).

 

Editor’s Note: This profile was originally published in 2020.

The Fellowship induction, along with recognition of the 2020 Alumni Awards, will take place virtually on April 16, 2021 on our YouTube and Facebook pages. Visit our Grady Salutes webpage for the latest updates.

2020 Grady Fellowship Inductees

Posted on by Sarah Freeman

Grady College proudly announces the newest class of Grady Fellows, a recognition honoring friends of the college whose accomplishments, friendship and service to the industries they serve have made a positive impact on the college and its students.

“This year’s class of Grady Fellows represents the full breadth and depth of the college,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College. “From senior leaders in business to broadcast icons and radio legends, it’s a true testament to the quality of the nominations for this, our highest recognition.”

The Fellowship induction, along with the recognition of the 2020 Alumni Awards, will take place Thursday, Oct. 1 at Grady Salutes: A Celebration of Achievement, Commitment and Leadership.

The 2020 Fellowship class includes:

Allison Ausband (ABJ ’83)

Current job: Senior vice president – in-flight service, Delta Air Lines
Grady College major: Journalism

Allison Ausband has spent her professional career at Delta Air Lines, a company she joined in 1985 as a flight attendant. Working her way through positions of greater responsibility, Ausband currently leads a team of 24,000 flight attendants, supervisory and support personnel around the globe, as well as Delta’s onboard global food and beverage operation and experience. Her key responsibilities include leading her team to ensure 200 million Delta customers have an enjoyable flight experience while maintaining a focus on safety.

Chris Clark (ABJ ’61)

Current job: Adjunct professor of broadcast journalism, Middle Tennessee State University
Grady College major: Journalism

When Chris Clark retired as news anchor at WTVF in Nashville, a station he served for nearly 41 years, he was one of the longest-tenured anchors in American television history.  In the earlier years of his tenure, Clark also served as the station’s news director, leading the station’s conversion from film to electronic news coverage, among the first to convert to what is now the broadcast standard throughout the world. Following his retirement in 2007, he was appointed to the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies at the university, leading to his current position as adjunct professor.

Clark serves on the Grady Board of Trust.

Carol Ramos-Helton (ABJ ’79) and Dick Helton

Current jobs: U.S. correspondent for radio New Zealand (Carol); host KNX morning show (Dick)
Grady College major: Journalism (Carol)

Carol and Dick Helton have each earned strong reputations in radio and television broadcasting that have resulted in several Emmy and Golden Mike nominations and awards.

Prior to working in international radio, Carol was the news director and morning drive news anchor and talk show host at KABC Talk Radio in Los Angeles. She moved to LA in the mid 90s to become morning drive anchor at All-News KFWB.

In addition to his host responsibilities at KNX, Dick also works as senior political correspondent for the station and has been at the heart of the station’s political coverage for the past twenty-two years.

Eugenia Harvey (ABJ ’82)

Current jobs: Executive producer and project director of the multi-platform initiatives at WNET, New York
Grady College major: Journalism

Eugenia Harvey has left an indelible mark on the world of news media as a veteran broadcast journalist on ABC News’ “PrimeTime Live” and “48 Hours” (CBS), as well as serving as an executive producer for “Third Rail with OZY,” and shows on CNN and BET.

Harvey has also served as a producer for “Race Matters: Solutions” on PBS NewsHour with Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ ’63).

Ken Woo (ABJ ’78)

Current jobs: Freelance director of photography and cameraman work
Grady College major: Journalism

Ken Woo has an incredibly varied background in his nearly 40 years of serving as director of photography, cameraman and documentary producer.

Woo’s big break came at CBS where he worked numerous shows like the “Young & the Restless,” “Bold & the Beautiful,” “Price Is Right,” “Archie Bunker’s Place” and “Mama’s Family.”

In 1987, Woo turned to fulltime freelance work focusing on live sports, news magazines, documentaries and features. Woo became a director of photography in the early 1990s, working on everything from the Olympics, IronMan and Tour de France to several Super Bowls, Final Four Championships and several US Open tournaments for tennis and golf.