Delta CEO Ed Bastian and Delta Board Member and previous E.V.P. and CFO of The Coca-Cola Company Kathy Waller were honored on Feb. 25 by Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia at the 33^rd annual JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame event, a black-tie gala to honor dynamic business and civic leaders who have shaped Atlanta into the robust city it is today. Bastian and Waller joined the ranks of 99 other influential Atlantans who were inducted for their significant contributions to Atlanta’s economic and civic vibrancy as JA laureates.

Each year, inductees are chosen by a panel consisting of representatives from the Atlanta Business Chronicle and Junior Achievement. While several laureates have Delta connections, the only other Delta employee to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was founder C.E. Woolman.

“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 Douglass High School graduate, she epitomizes the best of this place and remains one of our most relevant and uplifting leaders.”

Waller enjoyed a distinguished 32-year career at The Coca-Cola Company where she served as CFO, and now serves as Executive Director of the Atlanta Committee for Progress. “Kathy is someone that kids can look up to and see themselves in her. All of our kids can learn a lot from Kathy as she is more than just a mentor, but a model of success,” said Bastian during the event.  

Both inductees were introduced by 3DE students at the gala, and both commented on how impressed they were with the students they had the privilege to get to know prior to the event.  Bastian was introduced by Zaria, a sophomore from Tri-Cities High School near Delta’s world headquarters in Atlanta, and Waller was introduced by Charlie, a sophomore and JROTC Commander at Norcross High School.

Delta’s non-executive chairman Frank Blake gave a toast to induct the laureates and surprised JA with the announcement of a $1 million grant from The Delta Air Lines Foundation to JA of Georgia for the 3DE Schools program.

About Delta’s Partnerships with JA and 3DE

Junior Achievement of Georgia’s programs are intensely focused to bring relevance, authenticity and application into everyday learning to energize students around academics and their future possibilities. Through partnerships with the business and education communities, JA brings academics to life by creating meaningful learning experiences.  Delta partners with 32 Junior Achievementchapters across five continents to spark students’ interest in aviation careers, financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.  JA works closely with 3DE, an innovative program to create a JA school within existing high schools, and Delta is a national partner with 3DE and supports nearly 50 3DE schools across the country.