Allison Ausband (ABJ ’83) has been an indispensable volunteer and supporter of the University of Georgia for close to a decade. Currently serving as chair of the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees since 2023, Ausband began her tenure on the board in 2016. Before being elected chair, she previously served as vice chair, chair of the foundation’s nominating and trusteeship committee, and strategic vice chair.

Ausband was also a member of the UGA Board of Visitors and has played a role in some of UGA’s most successful initiatives. She was one of the founding donors of Georgia Women Give, volunteers as a dedicated mentor with the UGA Mentor Program, and is an enthusiastic supporter of the UGA in Washington program. In addition to her service at UGA, Allison serves on the Board of Directors for Delta Air Lines Foundation.

Ausband serves as executive vice president and chief people officer for Delta Air Lines. She has been instrumental in spearheading the invaluable partnership between Delta and UGA, which has led to the creation of Delta Hall in Washington, D.C., and the Delta Innovation Hub on UGA’s Athens campus. She leads the company’s global talent management, total rewards and human resources service delivery functions in support of Delta’s 100,000-strong workforce and its people-first culture. With four decades of experience serving Delta customers and employees, Ausband is a staunch advocate of Delta people and its culture as the company’s most important competitive advantage.     

Ausband previously held the position of executive vice president and chief customer experience officer. Prior to that, she led Delta’s 24,000 flight attendants as senior vice president of in-flight service, overseeing the team as they achieved all-time high customer satisfaction scores. She has also served as vice president – reservation sales and customer care, across 10 engagement centers in four countries. During her tenure, Delta’s engagement centers achieved J.D. Power certification — a first for a U.S. airline.

She was honored with UGA’s Blue Key Service Award in 2023, which is presented to individuals who have made a major contribution to the university, state, and nation, as well as the Global Business Travel Association’s WINiT Outstanding Woman of the Year in 2021. For her role as executive sponsor of Delta’s efforts to fight human trafficking, Ausband was awarded Reuters’ Stop Slavery Award in 2020 and Humanitarian of the Year by the United Nations Association in 2019. Ausband has also been named one of Atlanta’s most powerful business leaders by Atlanta Magazine for two consecutive years.