Deborah (Debbie) Ackerman joined the Thrivent Board of Directors in 2020. She serves on the Audit and Governance committees.
With her leadership experience in the financial services industry, Ackerman helps ensure that Thrivent remains strong and stable and is well-positioned to help people achieve financial clarity, enabling lives of meaning and gratitude.
Ackerman is a co-founder of Amateras AEA, a private equity firm focused on addressing gender gaps in the industry. She founded Project Sunflower, a network of high-caliber women focused on bringing the female voice to private equity through investing, advising and providing governance. Previously, she co-founded Twin Bridge Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago. Ackerman has spent her career managing and leading organizations, including the private equity funds program at PPM America. She has held numerous board and advisory board seats across the organizations as well.
Ackerman has deep roots at Thrivent. In addition to serving as executive chair of the Thrivent Member Network–Chicagoland Region from 2017 to 2019, her great-grandfather was one of the founders of Aid Association for Lutherans, which was one of Thrivent’s predecessor organizations.
Ackerman has served as chair of the Illini Leadership Council and is an advisory board member of Girls on the Run–Chicago, a program for 8- to 13-year-old girls that promotes empowerment by teaching life skills through lessons and running.
She is an active leader at First Presbyterian Church in Wilmette, Illinois, where she serves as a deacon, Sunday school teacher and liturgist, and is sponsoring a mission to build schools in Malawi, Africa.
Ackerman earned her Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and a master’s in business administration in finance from the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.
She and her husband, Doug, have three children and live in Wilmette. They attend First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette. Ackerman enjoys skiing, tennis and is a competitive runner.
About
For over 120 years, Thrivent has been helping people build their financial futures and live more generous lives. Today, Thrivent is a Fortune 500 diversified financial services organization committed to providing advice, investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs and solutions to help people make the most of all they’ve been given.
For the last 12 years, Thrivent has been named as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere. As of Dec. 31, 2022, Thrivent had $162 billion in assets under management and advisement, and total revenue of $9.4 billion.