William E. Ackerman was born in Florence, S.C. on February 23, 1944. He then lived in Bishopville and Summerville, S.C. before moving to Columbia at age six. He attended the Taylor Elementary School, Wardlaw Junior High School, and Columbia High School. Mr. Ackerman started on the clarinet in beginner band during the summer between 6th and 7th grades, then switched to the oboe in the 7th grade. He learned percussion as a marching instrument in high school. Mr. Ackerman's first band director was Heyward Moore, followed by Robert Maddox. During his senior year he served as band captain and as vice-president of the Columbia High School Student Council. He was voted the "Most Dependable" Senior Superlative in the class of 1962 and was a member of the Key Club.

As a freshman Music Education major at the University of South Carolina, Mr. Ackerman started playing oboe with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (now the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra). He continued to play in the orchestra for 17 years under conductors Arthur Fraser and Arpad Darazs. While at USC, Mr. Ackerman served 2 years as band president and 2 years as president of the Delta Sigma chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He worked as a student assistant in band director James D. Pritchard's office and drove the band equipment truck.

Mr. Ackerman completed student teaching with Tom Isbell at Brookland-Cayce High School in the spring of 1967 and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Education degree. He was hired shortly thereafter as band director at Fulmer Middle School in Lexington County School District Two. During thirty years in Lexington District Two, Mr. Ackerman served as band director at Fulmer Middle, Busbee Middle, Pine Ridge Middle, and Airport High School. He left teaching in 1978 to become a fund-raiser for Henco, Inc.; realized teaching was where his heart was and returned to band directing at Fulmer Middle School in 1980. He retired from the classroom in 1999 and continues to serve Lexington Two as full-time Coordinator for Fine Arts.

In 1973, Mr. Ackerman received a Master of Music Education degree from the University of South Carolina.

Mr. Ackerman is the founder and conductor of the Columbia Community Concert Band since 1981. As a member of SCBDA, he served as president 1972-75, served on the Concert Solo and Ensemble, All State, Handbook, and By-law committees, as Central Region Chairman and Parliamentarian. While Handbook chairman, Mr. Ackerman reorganized the handbook into its present chapter outline format and first transcribed the handbook onto the computer disk in the late 80's. Mr. Ackerman was elected Teacher of the Year at Fulmer Middle School in 1988. Mr. Ackerman served in the South Carolina Music Educators Association as president-elect 1993-95, president 1995-97, and vice-president 1997-99, and served as conference chairman for the last four years.