Merrick Ackermans was raised in the greater Chicago area and attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and Technology. From 1988- 2015 Ackermans worked for Turner Broadcasting System in Atlanta Georgia where he held multiple engineering and management positions for the Turner Entertainment Group. He is currently the Director RF and Transmissions Engineering for CBS Operations & Engineering. Ackermans has been active in both the SMPTE and industry-wide standards process, having chaired multiple SMPTE standards committees and working groups. He has been active in SMPTE’s Atlanta Section and Southern Region form many years, having served multiple terms as both a Southern Region Governor and Atlanta Section Manager. Ackermans is a current board member of the Video Services Forum and is proud to be a SMPTE Fellow.