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BellSouth’s Ackerman Appointed by President to Become NSTAC Vice Chair

Arlington, VA., August 12, 2002 - President Bush announced on August 9, 2002, that he is appointing F. Duane Ackerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BellSouth Corporation to serve as Vice Chair of the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC).

The President's NSTAC is composed of up to 30 Presidentially appointed industry leaders (usually chief executive officers).In its advisory role to the President, the NSTAC provides industry-based analyses and recommendations on a wide range of policy and technical issues related to telecommunications, information assurance (IA), infrastructure protection, and other national security and emergency preparedness concerns.

A native of Plant City, Florida, Ackerman holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics and a Master's Degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.He also holds a Master's Degree in Business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ackerman began his communications career in 1964, and has served in numerous capacities with BellSouth. He was named 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, on Jan. 1, 1995, and was elevated to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer on Jan. 1, 1997.A year later to the day, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

In addition to serving as a director of BellSouth, Ackerman also is a member of the boards of The Allstate Corporation and the Wachovia 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.He is the Vice Chairman of the National Council on Competitiveness, 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.

Early in 2000, Ackerman accepted the NAACP's prestigious Corporate Image Award on behalf of BellSouth. The award, presented during the 31st Annual NAACP Image Awards Gala in Pasadena, Calif., is given each year to a corporation whose business practices and public service depict an exemplary positive image to millions of people around the world.

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