Doug Ackerman, Director of Florida Department of Citrus

Disneyland Dad

What do you do when the little girl who is the center of your universe lives 3,400 miles away on the West coast of the USA? How do you deal with the heartbreak when your daughter boards a flight and you know you won’t see her again until the holidays? Meet Doug Ackerman, self-proclaimed Disneyland Dad.

“All I ever wanted was a family,” he stated. I can tell that his eight-year old daughter is the focal point of his life, even though he struggles daily with the separation that allows him to see her only about 6 weeks a year.

“I am a Disneyland Dad,” he proclaimed with a wry smile. The connotation? Every time he sees her, they go on vacation!

I met Doug about four years ago as a student in my Executive MBA class, at The University of Tampa.

“He is a trouble maker” was the word from the graduate office. Nothing could be further from the truth. I found him to be bright, insightful and attentive. His decision to achieve his MBA crystallized as he took cover in a bunker in Afghanistan. I think the mind wanders when people around you are trying to kill you. He has a deep appreciation for his education and he walked away with critical thinking and communication skills that helped him land a high profile job as Director of the Florida Department of Citrus. That’s right — his job is to ensure that we all drink more orange juice!

Doug retired after a 23-year tour of duty as an army reservist. I sensed that his one-year stint in Afghanistan changed his life forever. His responsibility while there? Train the Afghan police. His mind set?

I have a two-year-old girl at home. I have a job to do. I am a soldier, not a policeman. You have nothing that I need. I feel extreme tension and stress and I spend a lot of time sitting around.

What really bothered Doug was how poorly the locals treated the little girls in Afghanistan. At one point, he actually considered adopting a little girl. He was bothered with the severity of corruption that he saw and he struggled with finding a level of corruption he could live with. Deployed soldiers face assignments in war ravaged areas, and unfortunately, their nightmares don’t end when they come home. They deal with suicide, a 90 percent divorce rate and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). One week after he trained his replacements, a large part of the group was killed in an IED explosion (Improvised Explosion Device) — on the same road he traveled for one year. The sadness in his eyes was visible as he spoke about having survivors’ guilt and how, even today, he suffers from PTSD. Everyday he wears a bracelet to honor one of those fine men who perished in that attack, and to keep alive, front and center, the memory of those who lost their lives. He spoke fondly about Captain Bruce Hayes, one of those brave soldiers who died in that attack. I feel humbled to honor him through these pages, for making the ultimate sacrifice.

I observed Doug as he nursed his martini and I was impressed by his confidence and his focus. His new challenge? How to overcome HLB – a disease that kills citrus. He considers me to be a mentor and an adviser, and I am so proud of him for his many accomplishments. Ultimately, he just wants to be a Dad to his little girl. “I sacrifice, so that she doesn’t have to,” he says through misty eyes.

That is one lucky girl.

Insights: 10 Questions

1. What drives you?
   Fear of failure.
   
2. If you had to go to the moon and take a single piece of music with you what would you take and why?
   Led Zepplin because it’s upbeat and personal.
   
3. If you were a cocktail, how would you describe yourself? What kind would you be and why?
   A Bourbon — reliable and steady.
   
4. Who in the world would you most like to sit down and have a drink with (living or dead) and why?
   George Washington. He has the skinny on what works.
   
5. If you had a single piece of advice to give to young people, what would it be?
   Don’t quit… ever!
   
6. Who’s career do you envy and why?
   Yours (meaning mine) — you feed young minds, work with children, and consult.
   
7. When you were 16 years old what did you most often get in trouble for?
   I was lost at 16. Probably sneaking a beer and procrastinating.
8. If there were one word to describe your family life growing up as a child, what would it be?
   “Busy”= real focus on sports and self sufficiency.
9. What is the most important thing you remember about your first love?
   She broke my heart.
   
10. What would you like your legacy to be?
    My legacy turns 8 in 5 days. If she is happy and learns, then it’s all been worth it.