William S. Ayer
Mr. Ayer is the retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (Alaska Air Group), the parent company of Alaska Airlines and its sister carrier, Horizon Air. Mr. Ayer served as Chief Executive Officer of Alaska Air Group and its subsidiaries through 2012, and as Chairman through 2013. A veteran of more than three decades in aviation, Mr. Ayer began his career with Horizon Air in 1982, where he held a variety of marketing and operations positions. He joined Alaska Airlines in 1995 as Vice President of Marketing and Planning, and subsequently held the posts of Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and President. In 2002, he became Alaska Air Group’s Chief Executive Officer, and, in May 2003, he was appointed Chairman. Mr. Ayer previously served on the Board of Directors of the Seattle Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and was a director of Puget Sound Energy, Inc. and Puget Energy, Inc. from January 2005 until January 2015, serving as Chairman from January 2009 until January 2015.
Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience
• Deep aerospace industry knowledge as well as sales, marketing and operations experience through his three decades of leadership roles at Alaska Air Group, a firm recognized for its best-in-class operating metrics among U.S. air carriers
• Proven leadership skills in developing a business enterprise that can deliver long-term, sustained excellence based on a management style that includes a relentless focus on the customer, continuous improvement, and building a culture of safety, innovation, sustainability and diversity
• Understanding of the U.S. public utility industry through his service as a director on the Board of Puget Energy
Years of Service: 9
Age: 69