Duane Ackerman is chairman and chief executive officer of Atlanta-based BellSouth Corporation.

A native of Plant City, Florida, Mr. Ackerman holds a bachelor's degree in physics and master's degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and a master's degree in business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Ackerman began his communications career in 1964, and has served in numerous capacities with BellSouth. Mr. Ackerman was named president, 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, on January 1, 1995 and was elevated to the position of president and chief executive officer of BellSouth on January 1, 1997. On January 1, 1998, Mr. Ackerman was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of BellSouth.

In addition to serving as a director of BellSouth Corporation, Mr. Ackerman is also a member of the board of Wachovia Corporation and the Allstate Corporation. His civic commitments include chairing the board of the Georgia Research Alliance and membership on the boards of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Woodruff Arts Center. Mr. Ackerman is the vice chairman of the National Council on Competitiveness, serves on the President's Export Council and is a trustee of Rollins College and a former member of the board of governors for the Society of Sloan Fellows of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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