Julie Ayers
HUMAN RESOURCES GENERALIST | Marietta, GA
Professional
Julie Ayers joined GDS in August of 2009. She holds certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM- SCP). She is a member of SHRM National and SHRM Atlanta. She also has an MBA from Kennesaw State University. Julie is the Human Resources Generalist and is leading several initiatives for the firm including flexible work options, telecommuting, and a recruiting video for the website. She has recently implemented online payroll, benefits, and applicant tracking systems for the firm. She is responsible for many human resource areas including recruitment, on-boarding, talent management, employee relations, policy development and compliance, benefits, and training just to name a few. She makes recommendations to the senior management on how the company can align business goals with human resource initiatives. She is an avid believer in work-life balance. Julie strives to help make GDS a company where employees truly enjoy working each day.
Family
Julie is married to Chris and they celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary this year. They have two active boys, ages 12 and 9, who are involved with multiple sports (travel baseball, football, and basketball) that keep the family very busy. They visited Cooperstown, New York in June where her son played in a week long baseball tournament at Dreams Park. Spending quality time with family is a top priority for Julie. She also loves animals and has a 3-year old chocolate Labrador Retriever named Buster.
Travel
Julie and her family are huge Disney fans who enjoy vacationing to Walt Disney World. They recently went on their first cruise to the Bahamas on The Disney Dream Cruise Ship where they snorkeled at Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island) and explored Atlantis in Nassau. The family also enjoys the beach as one of their favorite places to visit during the summer. A trip to Italy is on Julie’s bucket list along with Hawaii and Disneyland, of course.