F. Duane Ackerman is the retired chairman and CEO of the BellSouth Corporation. Mr. Ackerman was named the president and chief executive officer of BellSouth Telecommunications, BellSouth’s local telephone service unit, and largest subsidiary, in November 1992. He was promoted to vice chairman and chief operating officer of the parent company, BellSouth Corporation, in 1995, and was elevated to the position of president and chief executive officer of BellSouth in 1997. One year later, the Board added the chairman’s responsibilities, and Mr. Ackerman served as chairman and chief executive officer until BellSouth’s merger with AT&T in 2006.

Additionally, Ackerman has served on the boards of The Allstate Corporation, United Parcel Service, and The Home Depot. He is a past chairman of Rollins College, The National Council on Competitiveness, as well as a past chair of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. Additionally, Duane Ackerman is a former member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and has served on the board of governors for the Society of Sloan Fellows of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was President of the Atlanta Area Council of Boy Scouts of America and chaired the Olympic Park Private Sector Campaign for Centennial Olympic Park.