Delta CEO to address UGA grads

The University of Georgia lines up a commencement speaker: Ed Bastian, CEO of Atlanta-based Delta Airlines, will speak to the graduating class of 2022 in ceremonies set for May 13 in UGA’s Sanford Stadium.

From Rod Guajardo, UGA Today…

Ed Bastian, chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines, will deliver the spring undergraduate Commencement address at the University of Georgia on Friday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Sanford Stadium.

Jennifer Frum, UGA’s vice president for public service and outreach, will deliver the graduate Commencement address that same day at 9:30 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. Tickets are not required for either ceremony.

Since May 2016, Bastian has served as CEO of Delta, where he leads a team of 75,000 global professionals that is building the world’s premier international airline, powered by a people-driven, customer-focused culture and spirit of innovation.

Bastian, who is also a UGA parent, has expanded Delta’s leading position as the world’s most reliable airline while growing its global footprint and enhancing the customer experience in the air and on the ground. During Bastian’s tenure as CEO, Delta has become the world’s most awarded airline, having been named the No. 1 airline by J.D. Power, Wall Street Journal’s top U.S. airline, the top-ranking airline in Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, the most on-time global airline by FlightGlobal, the Platinum Award recipient for operational excellence by Cirium, one of TIME100′s Most Influential Companies, a Glassdoor Best Place to Work, and more.

In 2018, Fortune magazine named Bastian among “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” and in 2019, he was elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Most recently, Bastian was awarded the 2021 Airline Strategy Award for Executive Leadership by FlightGlobal and was named among the top 10 CEOs of 2021 in Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards as a leader who has excelled at supporting their people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Graduate ceremony speaker Jennifer Frum became UGA’s fourth vice president for public service and outreach in 2012 and the first woman to serve in the role. She provides institutional leadership for UGA’s eight diverse public service and outreach units, which contribute in numerous ways to Georgia’s short- and long-term prosperity. The UGA Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach has an estimated $753 million annual economic impact on Georgia.

In her role at UGA, Frum is responsible for training, technical assistance, continuing education and applied research programs that develop community leaders, create new small businesses, make government more efficient, provide students with real-world experiences, protect the environment and revitalize downtowns, among other benefits. She also provides leadership, along with the vice president for research, for UGA’s economic development programming, including the university’s economic development office in Atlanta.

Frum joined UGA in 1995 as a research professional in the Office of International Development and moved to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government in 2006. She served as deputy director and interim director of the Vinson Institute and interim vice president for public service and outreach before becoming vice president. She also served as interim president of Armstrong State University from June through December 2017.

Karli “KB” Bryant, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in education with a major in communication sciences and disorders, is the student speaker for the undergraduate ceremony.

Both ceremonies will follow the Southeastern Conference Clear Bag Policy.

©2022 Cox Media Group