Delta's top employees given red-carpet treatment at 20th annual Chairman's Club gala

Peer-nominated honorees represent Delta's culture through innovation, servant leadership and service

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Nov 10, 2016, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, Nov. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta will roll out the red carpet – literally – for 100 peer-nominated employees tonight at its annual Chairman's Club Gala in Atlanta. The event is the culmination of a months-long process to celebrate people who demonstrate the culture Delta says most sets it apart from other airlines.

Now in its 20th year, Chairman's Club is Delta's most prestigious peer-to-peer employee recognition program, honoring women and men across the company's worldwide operation who embody reliability, innovation, thoughtfulness and servant leadership and who demonstrate the highest standards of service to customers, coworkers and the communities Delta serves.

"All year long, Delta people worldwide have shown that they'll do whatever it takes to make Delta the best airline it can be," said Ed Bastian, Delta's CEO. "Our Chairman's Club honorees embody that commitment each day. We're grateful for the example they set in caring for our customers and leading us to success."

The gala will begin with a Red Carpet Experience where coworkers, friends and family members will cheer on the honorees as they arrive at the Delta Flight Museum at the airline's General Offices in Atlanta. Once inside, honorees will be treated to a dinner with wine pairings by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson. The event will also feature individual recognition for the honorees and appearances from top Delta executives, who will express their gratitude and admiration for the new members of the Chairman's Club.

This year, the selection committee received more than 10,000 nominations. The 100 honorees who advanced through the rigorous selection process represent 28 Delta stations in six countries and on average have nearly 22 years of service. Five of the honorees have more than 40 years of service, and the most senior honoree has worked at Delta for 51 years.

Follow along with the excitement on the red carpet on Delta's Facebook page and inside the gala with the hashtag #2016HONOREE across social media platforms.

See the full list of the 2016 honorees below (first name, last name, location):

Deb Adair, Minn.

Cassandra Adams, Texas

Michel Aletraris, Ga.

Beth Anderson, Ga.

Vincent Blanckaert, Belgium

Dave Bloss, Ohio

Johnny Boynton, Ga.

Jonathan Brown, Ga.

Andrew Brown, Fla.

Betsie Campbell, Minn.

Charity Cannon, S.C.

Dawn Carroll, Mich.

Evelyn Chan, Singapore

Renae Chitty, Utah

Lisa Collins, Ga.

Scott Council, Ga.

Jim Crawford, Utah

Wendy Davison, Ga.

Trish DeMasi, Ga.

Patti DeVelbiss, Mich.

Catherine Dillon, Ga.
Abdul Nagi, Mich.

Tim Neville, Mich.

Delia Ortega, Peru

Jaqi Packa, Minn.

Maria Palazzolo, Fla.

Karen Perkey, Ga.

Bunty Ramakrishna, Ga.

Brian Robinson, Nev.

Dinah Robinson, Ga.

Roger Salz, Ga.

Michael Sandbrink, Germany

Pete Sansom, Ga.

Roger Seale, Fla.

David Sewell, Ga.

Virginie Durr, Ga.

Andy Enright, Ga.

Daryl Eygabroad, Wash.

Jill Fischer, Ga.

Mary Flaugher, Calif.

Mike Fritz, Utah

David Fuerstenau, Ga.

Denise Gibbs, Ga.

Marcus Griffin, Ga.

Jody Griffiths, Utah

Phil Guido, Fla.

Ken Gunderson, Utah

Cynthia Haggins, Ga.

Stephanie Hampton, Minn.

Jennifer Hirte, Minn.

Tom Holton, Ga.

Ryan Hughes, Utah

Joe Isley, Ga.

Jim Jackson, Ga.

Edna Jimenez, Ga.

Wendy Johnson, Ga.
Greg Shoemake, Ga.

Jeff Smith, Ga.

Kris Sooknanan, N.Y.

Lucrecia Sotelo Diaz, Mexico

Raven Spillman, N.Y.

Timothy Stout, Ga.

Linda Taylor, Ga.

Theresa Thompson, Mich.

Bill Thurber, Ga.

Ebony Timmons, Ga.

Korea Traylor, Ga.

Barb Utsumi, Utah

Lynda Valdez, N.Y.

Bobby Johnson Jr., Mich.

Douglas Jury, Ga.

Rich Kargel, Minn.

Janet Koren, Ill.

Angela Kozai, Calif.

Susan Kraham, Ga.

Paul Kramer, Wash.

Jennifer Kupler, Mich.

Colleen Lampron, Ga.

Dave Lee, Singapore

Kevin Lynch, Ga.

Dionne Magby, Ga.

Penisimani Mahe, Calif.

Chetuan Malcolm, Ga.

Richard Marr, Ga.

Justin Mausolf, Minn.

Rekha McGuire, Minn.

Jane Mitchell, Ga.

Ron Monestier, Fla.

Roberto Morales, Mich.

Chris Morris, Ga.

Victoria Vaughan-Williams, Ghana

Dave Vorgias, Mich.

Bridget Wade, Wis.

Jeffrey Weese, Hawaii

Travis Whittaker, Minn.

Mike Wilkinson, Utah

Kim Williams, Minn.

Karen Woodard, Ga.

Candice Zachery, Ga.

Scott Zuehlke, Minn.

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 319 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/delta.