Dr. Ecker received B.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Ph.D in electrical engineering from Ohio State University.

Dr.Ecker has been an executive with Scientific-Atlanta since 1976. From that time to the present he has served as Vice President of R&D, Group Vice President and General Manager of Satellite Communications, Chief Technical Officer, President of Scientific-Atlanta’s largest and most rapidly growing business - Subscriber Sector and is currently Corporate Executive Vice President of Scientific-Atlanta. Under his leadership, Scientific-Atlanta launched Digital Broadband Delivery Networks on cable systems in over 50 major cities in the U.S. before the end of 1999. The number of the Scientific-Atlanta digital networks that now are deployed in North America exceeds 250, with over 22 million Digital Home Communication Terminals (DHCT) connected to these networks. He was instrumental in forming and served as Chairman of the Board of PowerTV, Scientific-Atlanta’s subsidiary that is focused on software operating systems, middleware and applications for home entertainment and information. He provided the technology, product and system development leadership that has been the foundation of S-A’s growth in annual sales from $40 million in 1976 to a current annual sales rate of approaching $2 billion. Currently, he also serves on the Board of the Scientific-Atlanta Foundation that is responsible for the determination and distribution of charitable contributions by Scientific-Atlanta to the community. Dr. Ecker was selected as the 1999 inductee into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia for his leadership in the implementation and commercial application of digital television.

He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni and into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. He was an All-Conference and All America, player on nationally ranked Georgia Tech football teams. Dr. Ecker currently serves on the External Advisory Board for the Georgia Tech School of Electrical & Computer Engineering and on the External Advisory Board for Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). He has served on the Georgia Tech Alumni Board of Trustees and Co-chaired the Reunion Campaign for his class at Georgia Tech that set the record for the largest donation of any class at that time. Most recently, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Tech Foundation.

In addition to his accomplishments in Georgia’s cornerstone High Tech growth company, Scientific-Atlanta, he has served the state of Georgia as part of the founding team and first Chairman of the Board of the Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technologies (GCATT). With a small team of state and Georgia Tech people he worked to build GCATT from a vision of Governor Miller to a major influence on the technology and economic development in the state.

Dr. Ecker was an initial appointee of Governor Miller to the state’s Information Technology Policy Council which is driving the state’s initiatives in setting policies, guidelines and procedures in this dramatically changing information technology world. He served on the committee that recruited the first Chief Information Officer of the state, Mike Hale, and chaired committees of the Information Technology Policy Council including the current Information Network Standards and Infrastructure Committee.

Prior to joining Scientific-Atlanta, Dr. Ecker helped develop the research activities of what is now the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). He built up the sponsored research in what was then the Applied Engineering Laboratory that included the Radar Division, the Countermeasures Division, the Communications Division and the Biomedical Electronic Division. Many of the sponsored R&D programs that he developed provided the foundation for growth in sponsored research at GTRI.

Dr. Ecker is very active in the community and chaired the Board of Trustees of Haygood Memorial United Methodist Church and serves on the Advisory Council for Action Ministries, a ministry which provides assistance to families and single parents looking to improve their situation and are willing to work towards that goal. He has served on the Board of Zoo Atlanta and was on the Corporate Contributions Committee that conducted the campaign for the initial funding for SciTrek.

Dr. Ecker is the author of over 80 significant publications including chapters in major books. He received national recognition as an author of a chapter in The ElectronicCommunications Handbook published by McGraw Hill. He was elected a Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). He has received other professional and industry awards including the Innovator of The Year Award by the Southern Cable Television Association (SCTA). In 1999 he received national recognition with an Award for Leadership in Interactive Television at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) annual conference. He is a noted Telecommunications Industry spokesperson and is continuously sought as a speaker at national and international conferences and symposia.

His significant sustaining contributions to his profession, the telecommunications industry and to the state of Georgia undoubtedly justify his selection for the 2005 Atlanta Telecom Professional of the Year Award.