Leadership

Karen Ellis

Assistant General Manager, Chief Customer Experience Officer

Karen Ellis serves as the Assistant General Manager and Chief Customer Experience Officer. In this role, she leads a dedicated team focused on enhancing the traveler experience, ensuring ATL remains welcoming and efficient for all passengers.

Ms. Ellis brings 27 years of expertise in aviation customer experience and service excellence to her position. She began her career at Hartsfield-Jackson in 1997 and served as Senior Customer Service Manager from 2001 to 2013. She then held leadership roles at the Houston Airport System and the San Antonio Airport System, where she was instrumental in achieving national recognition for customer satisfaction.

Ms. Ellis earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Jacksonville State University and a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Troy University. She is a certified Customer Care Manager by the Customer Service Institute, a certified Customer Service Manager by the Customer Service Institute of America, and a certified Customer Experience Manager by Airports Council International. She has also achieved the status of Competent Toastmaster, Advanced Toastmaster Bronze, and Competent Leader through Toastmasters International.

Active in the aviation community, Ms. Ellis serves as an At-Large Board Member and Event Planning Chair for the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) and is a member of the Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience Steering Committee with Airports Council International (ACI). Under her leadership, the San Antonio International Airport was recognized among the top three airports in North America for customer experience for four consecutive years. She was honored with the 2020 ACI Ted Bushelman Award, the 2023 AMAC Chairman’s Award, the 2024 AMAC Charles “CJ” Johnson Award, and was inducted into the 2024 SMART Airports Hall of Fame.