HALL OF FAME

The first woman and first producer to serve as CEO of PBS, the head of one of the nation's most powerful communications companies and a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist who has been named as one of the " 100 most generous Americans" by Worth magazine: this impressive roster of accomplishments belongs to the business leaders inducted into Georgia State's 2001 Business Hall of Fame - Pat Mitchell, F. Duane Ackerman and J. B. Fuqua. Celebrating its 17th year, the Hall of Fame is the highest recognition given by the Robinson College of Business to outstanding local business leaders.

Pat Mitchell, who joined PBS in March 2000 as the fifth president and CEO and the first woman to serve in that position, manages a budget of more than $350 million that helps to support 347 member stations reaching 99% of U.S. households. Previously, as president of CNN Productions and Time Inc. Television in Atlanta, she was responsible for developing, commissioning and supervising original nonfiction programming projects for CNN, TBS and other Turner and Time Warner networks and businesses.

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia with bachelor's and master's degrees in English, Mitchell began her career as a reporter at WBZ-TV in Boston and then moved within the station to become a producer, news anchor and host of a program for women. In 1983, she formed her own production company and worked for ABC, CBS and NBC, serving as news reporter, anchor, talk show host, producer and executive. Mitchell also founded another independent production company, VU Productions, in 1992.

She has won more than 100 major awards for her talk shows and documentaries, including Emmys, Peabodys and Cable ACEs. In May 2000, she was named Woman of the Year by Women in Cable and Telecommunications, and in February 200 1, CINE, a nonprofit organization that recognizes excellence in the craft of video/film production, presented her with its prestigious Leadership Award.

Long active in community and nonprofit organizations, Mitchell serves on the national board of Girls Incorporated, the advisory board of Radcliffe College's ShIesinger Library on the History of Women, and the Women's Leadership Advisory Council of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She sits on the board of trustees of the Sundance Institute and is one of the founding members of Global Green USA, the American chapter of Mikhail Gorbachev's international environmental organization, Green Cross.

F. Duane Ackerman, chairman and executive officer of BellSouth, began his communication career in 1964 and has served in numerous capacities with BellSouth. He became president and CEO of BellSouth's local telephone service and largest subsidiary in 1992. He was promoted to vice chairman and CEO of the parent company, BellSouth Corporation, in 1995 and to president and CEO of BellSouth in 1997.

A native of Plant City, Fla., Ackerman holds a master's degree in physics from Rollins College, Fla., and a master's degree in business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ackerman plays an active role in community service, including his work as a member of the board of Wachovia Corporation and the Allstate Corporation. His civic responsibilities include chairing the board of the Georgia Research Alliance and membership on the boards of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Woodruff Arts Center. He is vice chairman of the national Council on Competitiveness, serves on the President's Export Council, is a trustee of Rollins College and is a former member of the board of governors for the Society of Sloan Fellows of MIT.

J.B. Fuqua, renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist, is the chairman of The Fuqua Companies, made up of the various management companies of the Fuqua family interests.

A native of rural Virginia, he started his career as an engineer at a South Carolina radio station after serving in the Merchant Marines. At 21, he was the youngest station manager in the nation when he became part owner of an Augusta, Ga., radio station. In 1965, he bought a brick and tile company, expanding it into a $2 billion conglomerate. Throughout his career, he has served as chairman of five companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Fuqua also served four terms (1957-1964) in the Georgia Legislature, three in the House and one in the Senate. From 1962 to 1966, he served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

During his lifetime, Fuqua has given generously to education, conservation, health and public service concerns, with his gifts totaling approximately $100 million. In Atlanta alone, he supports many organizations, including the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Fuqua Heart Center at Piedmont Hospital and the Atlanta Union Mission for the establishment of Fuqua Hall.

To recognize his substantial contributions to his community, many awards have been bestowed on Fuqua. He has received the 1984 Horatio Alger Award, the 1986 Sales and Marketing Award from the Sales and Marketing Executives International, the 1993 Philanthropist of the Year award presented by the National Association of Fund Raising Executives and the 2000 Atlanta Gas Light/WSB Radio Shining Light Award.