By The Associated Press (AP) ? NAME: Daniel Francis Akerson
AGE: 63. Born Oct. 31, 1948.
HOMETOWN: Mankato, Minn.
LIVES IN: Detroit
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, U.S. Naval Academy, 1970; master’s degree in economics, London School of Economics, 1978.
MILITARY EXPERIENCE: Akerson served as an officer on a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Du Pont, from 1970 to 1975.
CURRENT POSITION: Akerson was named to General Motors’ board of directors by the U.S. Treasury in July 2009. He became CEO of GM in September 2010 and chairman in January 2011
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Managing director and head of global buyout, The Carlyle Group, 2003-2009; chairman and CEO of XO Communications Inc., 1999-2003; chairman of Nextel Communications Inc., 1996-2001 (CEO from 1996-1999); CEO of General Instrument Co., 1993-1995; various positions at MCI Communications Corp., including executive vice president and chief financial officer, 1983-1993; executive positions at Phillips Petroleum Co. and AT&T Inc., 1978-1982.
PERSONAL: Married to Karin since 1971. Three children.
FIRST THING HE DOES IN THE MORNING: Checks the markets and reads email.
LAST THING HE DOES AT NIGHT: Checks in with his wife.
WHAT HE’S READING: “Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal,” by James Hornfischer
HOBBIES: “Spoiling my grandchildren. Watching my golf handicap deteriorate. Reading.”
IN HIS OFFICE: A framed excerpt from a 1910 speech by Theodore Roosevelt, known as the “Man in the Arena” speech. A portion of that speech: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood … who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
WHAT HE’S DRIVING: “Chevrolet Sonic … too fun!”
FAVORITE ROAD TRIP CAR: “You’re asking me to pick my favorite child. Can’t do it.”