Karen W. Ellis serves as the Chief Customer Experience Officer for the San Antonio International Airport System SAAS which comprises the San Antonio International Airport and Stinson Municipal Airport. Karen has over 20 years of leadership and customer service experience in the Aviation industry by serving with the following airports: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Houston Airport System, and now with SAAS.

Karen holds a Master of Science Degree in Human Resources Management from Troy University and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Jacksonville State University.  In conjunction with her educational background, Karen is a Certified Customer Care Manager by the Customer Service Institute and a certified Customer Service Manager by the Customer Service Institute of America. She is also a Certified Customer Experience Specialist by Airport Council International. Through Toastmasters International, Karen has achieved the status of Competent Toastmaster, Advanced Toastmaster Bronze and Competent Leader with Toastmasters International and served as President of the International Customer Service Association – Georgia Chapter. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Customer Experience Working Group for Airport Council International ACI and is the past Chair of the Training Committee for the American Association of Airport Executives AAAE.

In 2020, Karen was selected as the Ted Bushelman Legacy Award recipient for Creativity and Excellence. She has extensive conference planning experience and currently serves as the National Conference Planning Committee Chair for the Airport Minority Advisory Council AMAC. She has served as Planning Chair for the America Association of Airport Executives AAAE/Airport Council International ACI Customer Experience Symposium for the past five years and has recently served as Conference Planning Liaison for the SMART Airports Conference which was held in person in San Antonio last year.

Under Karen’s leadership at the San Antonio Airport, the airport has been recognized as Best Airports in overall satisfaction for the past four years. SAT received recognition for being the first airport in the United States to complete Level 1 and 2 of the Airport Accreditation Program by Airport Council International. And most recently being one of six airports world-wide to be inducted into the Airport Council International Worlds Hall of Fame.

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