Ed Bastian and Kathy Waller will join the prestigious group of individuals previously inducted into the JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame
ATLANTA– Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia and Atlanta Business Chronicle are pleased to announce that Ed Bastian, Chief Executive Officer, Delta Air Lines, and Kathy Waller, retired Chief Financial Officer, The Coca-Cola Company and Executive Director, Atlanta Committee for Progress, will be inducted into the JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 25, 2023. They will join the group of 99 influential Atlantans previously inducted for their significant contributions to Atlanta’s economic and civic vibrancy.
Celebrating its 33rd year, the JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame, a black-tie gala to benefit JA of Georgia, is held to honor dynamic business and civic leaders who have shaped Atlanta into the robust city it is today.
“We are so honored to be inducting these two extraordinary people,” said John Hancock, President and CEO, JA of Georgia. “Mr. Bastian’s leadership of Delta Air Lines, particularly in the past few years, has served as a model for leaders around the country and the world. His leadership of the world’s number one airline, coupled with his many civic commitments in Atlanta, speaks to his incredible leadership capacity. Similarly, Ms. Waller’s story is one of inspiration for so much accomplished in a pioneering business career and for so much given to our community. As a native Atlantan and Douglas High School graduate, she epitomizes the best of this place and remains one of our most relevant and uplifting leaders.”
Ed Bastian has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Delta Air Lines since 2016. He leads the team of 80,000 employees across the globe, all who are focused on building the worlds’ premier international airline. Bastian has been with Delta for 24-years total, working his way from Vice President and Controller to Chief Financial Officer to President, and now CEO. Bastian has guided the company through some of its most challenging times – most recently the COVID-19 pandemic – while remaining committed to its people-focused culture and spirit of innovation. During his time as CEO, Delta has become the world’s most awarded airline and maintains a transcendent presence in its headquarters of Atlanta. In 2018 Fortune magazine named Bastian one of ‘The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’, and his values-based leadership strategy can be summed up in his own words as ‘taking care of our people.’ Before joining Delta, Bastian held senior finance positions at Frito-Lay International and Pepsi-Cola International. He started his career with Price Waterhouse, where he became an audit partner in its New York practice. Bastian currently serves on the board for the Woodruff Arts Center and has chaired the boards of the Atlanta Metro Chamber and the Atlanta Committee for Progress. He grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Throughout her 32 years at The Coca-Cola Company, Kathy Waller’s journey accomplished a full circle: her first position at the company was as a senior accountant with the primary responsibility for preparing the then-CFO for his financial reporting to the Board of Directors. In 2019 she retired as Coca-Cola’s Chief Financial Officer. During her decades-long career, she held leadership roles of increasing seniority, ultimately becoming the first woman and first Black person to be a CFO at a Fortune 100 company. In 2007 Waller was selected as a founding member of the company’s Women’s Leadership Council where she led female executives in senior roles through the ranks of the company and towards better understanding and empowering themselves. Waller is currently the Executive Director of the Atlanta Committee for Progress and serves on the boards of The University of Rochester (her alma mater), Spelman College, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, The Woodruff Arts Center, and Achieve Atlanta. She has corporate board roles at Delta Air Lines, Beyond Meat, CGI Inc., and Cadence Bancorporation.
The JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame will feature a cocktail reception, silent auction, seated dinner, and laureate induction ceremony. The 2023 gala will be held at Flourish Atlanta in Buckhead. Proceeds from the event will benefit JA of Georgia and its efforts to empower the next generation to build a better future for themselves and their community. To learn more, click here.