At ComEd, leadership means integrity, forward thinking, openness to ideas and principled decision-making. ComEd has been serving the Northern Illinois region for more than 100 years. That kind of longevity doesn't happen by chance. It happens because of the men and women whose talents and skills guide our strategic direction and inspire others to follow their lead.
Our values are part of our daily operations and our commitment to the region. ComEd defines itself through how we operate and what we believe. Our values reflect the principles we stand for and guide our actions and our interactions.
CEO
Gil Quiniones leads ComEd, an Exelon company, which powers the lives of more than 4 million residential and business customers, or 70 percent of Illinois’ population. He is responsible for the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to customers and for empowering them to manage their energy use. He oversees the management of the electric grid for Chicago and most of northern Illinois and ComEd’s partnerships with the diverse communities it serves.
Before joining ComEd, Quiniones served more than a decade as president and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility. Under his leadership, NYPA played a key role in the Governor's Reforming the Energy Vision initiative to use market forces and new technology to empower customers and encourage the growth of clean renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Quiniones served as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alliance to Save Energy. He served on the Boards of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Large Public Power Council. From April 2015 to April 2016, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the electric power industry's international research and development organization. He currently serves as Chair of the GridWise Alliance, which focuses on accelerating innovation that delivers a more secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid to support decarbonization of the US economy.
Quinones attended De La Salle University in the Philippines where he received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering.
President
Chief Operating Officer
As president and chief operating officer, Donnelly is responsible for leading ComEd’s overall performance in the areas of service reliability, operations, engineering, construction, safety, customer satisfaction, financial management and smart grid development, including the implementation of one of the nation’s first utility-operated microgrid clusters in Chicago. He has led the company in improving energy reliability for customers by an unprecedented 70 percent.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon. ComEd is the largest electric utility in Illinois and includes one of the largest urban power grids in the nation. The company employs more than 6,000 people and delivers electricity to over 4 million residential and business customers across northern Illinois – 70 percent of the state’s population – including the City of Chicago.
Exelon is one of the nation’s largest energy providers. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers in northern Illinois, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Exelon is a Fortune 100 company headquartered in Chicago and trades on Nasdaq under the ticker EXC.
Donnelly began his professional career at ComEd sister company PECO, Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility, in 1983. He has more than 35 years of experience in the energy industry.
He was promoted to president of ComEd in 2018 and has served as COO since 2012. Donnelly also previously served as ComEd’s executive vice president of operations, leading all energy delivery and transmission system operations. He has held several other executive positions covering a broad range of functions for ComEd and PECO.
Donnelly serves as a member of the Electric Power Research Institute’s Research Advisory Council.
Donnelly serves on the board of directors for the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, House Theatre of Chicago and Big Shoulders Fund. He also serves as vice chair of the board of trustees and chair of the quality committee for La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
Donnelly earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA from Temple University.
Senior Vice President
Customer Operations and Chief Customer Officer
Washington oversees all aspects of ComEd’s customer operations, including its energy efficiency programs, customer channels and related technology, large customer services, customer call center, field operations, customer financial operations, and marketing.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corp. ComEd delivers electricity to more than 4 million residential and business customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population.
Washington joined Exelon in 2003 and has held several roles of increasing responsibility for Exelon and ComEd throughout her tenure with the company. She most recently served as Senior Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs at ComEd, where she led legislative affairs, external affairs, large customer services and economic and workforce development and managed ComEd’s relationships with civic and charitable organizations.
Prior to that role, Washington served at ComEd as Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs, and, before that, as Vice President of External Affairs and Large Customer Services.
From 2014 to 2016, she played a leading role in the successful merger between Exelon and Pepco Holdings while serving as the Vice President of Corporate Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Washington also served as Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Strategy for ComEd, where she managed the company’s relationships with the Illinois Commerce Commission and its staff, as well as other regulatory bodies.
Before joining ComEd’s regulatory team, she was the Director of Investor Relations for Exelon. In that role, she was responsible for communicating Exelon’s value proposition, financial results and performance drivers to the financial community.
Washington serves as board chair of the Metropolitan Planning Council and is a board member of the Illinois Manufacturing Association (IMA), the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and Intersect Illinois. She is also a board member and fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. In addition, she serves as the executive sponsor of Developing Young Professionals Chicagoland, an Exelon employee resource group.
Washington earned her MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from Lewis University.
Senior Vice President, Technical Services
M. Michelle Blaise, senior vice president of Technical Services, is responsible for Engineering, Project Management and Smart Grid & Technology for ComEd.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation. ComEd delivers electricity to approximately 3.8 million residential and business customers across northern Illinois, including the City of Chicago, or 70 percent of the state’s population.
Prior to her role as senior vice president of Technical Services, Blaise served as vice president of Engineering and Project Management and oversaw maintenance, reliability, and capacity planning. She was also responsible for planning and execution of transmission and substation projects as well as execution of Energy Infrastructure Modernization (EIMA) program.
Blaise has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities in customer operations, strategic planning, distribution operations and engineering including manager of Construction and Maintenance, Manager of Strategic Planning, and Manager of Business Planning.
Blaise serves as a member of the board of directors for the Women’s Business Development Center and on the board of trustees of the Chicago Architecture Foundation.
Blaise holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and an MBA from DePaul University.
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Graham is responsible for all ComEd finance activities, including financial reporting and analysis, budgeting, business planning, financings, and risk management. A unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population.
Prior to her current role, Graham served four years as treasurer at Exelon, leading a 30-person team responsible for capital markets activities, capital structure strategies, structured financings, rating agency relationships, treasury operations and cash management, and corporate insurance and risk retention programs. She also served as a corporate finance lead for the separation of Exelon’s power generation and competitive energy businesses that was finalized in February 2022.
Before that, Graham served two years as Exelon’s assistant treasurer, and another three years as director of corporate financial planning and analysis, where she led a 30-person team responsible for corporate consolidated long-range planning, annual budgeting, forecast and associated management.
Graham earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematical economics from Colgate University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Senior Vice President, Transmission and Substation
Maletich oversees engineering and design, work management, transmission and substation construction and maintenance, and substation relay and testing.
A unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corp., ComEd delivers electricity to more than 4 million residential and business customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.
Maletich previously served as Vice President of Distribution System Operations for ComEd, where she was responsible for operational oversight and development of business strategy for ComEd's Distribution System Operations Organization, which includes its Operations Control Center and emergency preparedness.
Maletich has more than 25 years of experience in the energy industry. She joined ComEd in distribution engineering in its Chicago region. She has held multiple positions in distribution engineering, distribution planning, supply, asset management, and as director of the distribution operations control center.
Maletich is an active member of the Chicago Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers and Women's Energy Network.
Maletich serves on the board of the Penedo Charitable Organization and is a member of the Energetic Women's Committee for the Midwest Energy Association.
In 2017, Maletich was awarded the Midwest Energy Association's Maverick Award, recognized for promoting, connecting and strengthening female leaders in energy operations and engineering.
Maletich holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA in finance from DePaul University.
Senior Vice President, Distribution Operations
David Perez oversees distribution operations for ComEd's more than 11,000-square-mile service area. These operations include new business, construction and maintenance, field operations and regional engineering.
Prior to his current role, Perez served as vice president of transmission and substation at ComEd, where he was responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of more than 5,800 miles of transmission lines and nearly 400 substations. He also previously served as vice president of distribution operations at ComEd for the Chicago and Maywood regions.
Before joining the operations team, Perez served as vice president of work management and new business at ComEd. In that role, he was responsible for more than 500 employees who managed construction and maintenance work plans and provided engineering and construction services for customers.
With more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry, Perez also has held managerial positions in construction, maintenance, operations, work management and technical investigations at ComEd.
In 2007, Perez became a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, which exposes area executives to local challenges and the skills needed to make a difference in the community. He is a board member of the Chicago Metro History Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Engineering and the Chicago Commons Governing Board.
Perez holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
General Counsel
As Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Rippie is responsible for providing legal counsel across all aspects of the company’s operation including representing the company in its external legal matters, rate cases, and other administrative and legal proceedings. In addition, he serves as Deputy General Counsel for Exelon, providing legal support for all Exelon utilities in matters pertaining to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation. ComEd delivers electricity to approximately 4 customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population..
Prior to assuming his current role, Rippie was a partner in the energy practice of Chicago-based Jenner & Block and co-founded a boutique energy and infrastructure firm. Since the late 1980s, he has represented ComEd on regulatory matters and provided counsel on navigating the increasingly complex business and technology environment for utility companies.
Rippie serves as Vice President and Finance Chair for the endowment fund supporting the Illinois Math and Science Academy.
Rippie graduated from Yale Law School, where he was a Coker Fellow, and earned a master’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s degree in math and economics from Northwestern University.
Senior Executive Vice President
Chief Operating Officer, Exelon
Calvin G. Butler Jr. is a senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of Exelon. Butler oversees Exelon’s six local electric and natural gas companies -- Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco. Together, they form the nation’s largest utility company by customer count, serving approximately 10 million electric and gas customers in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Butler serves as chairman of each utility’s board and is a member of Exelon’s executive committee.
Butler is a past chair of the Gridwise Alliance, an advocacy organization promoting modernization and innovation for the nation’s electrical grid, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for RLI Corp as a member of its audit and nominations/governance committees. In addition, Butler serves on the board of M&T Bank Corporation and M&T Bank, its principal banking subsidiary, as a member of its nomination, compensation and governance committee.
Butler previously served as CEO of BGE from 2014 to 2019. Prior to that role, Butler was BGE’s senior vice president, regulatory and external affairs. Butler also served as Exelon’s senior vice president of corporate affairs, Chief Human Resources Officer, and held other leadership positions at Exelon and ComEd (Chicago).
Before joining Exelon in 2008, Butler held senior leadership roles in external affairs as well as manufacturing with the print, digital and supply chain solutions company RR Donnelley. He spent his early career with CILCORP (Central Illinois Light Co.), where he held positions in government affairs, legal and strategy.
Butler serves on the boards of several prominent Baltimore-based organizations including the Baltimore Community Foundation, University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors, Greater Baltimore Committee, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, the Center Club and Caves Valley Golf Club. He is a past board chair of his alma mater, Bradley University. In addition, Butler serves on the boards of the ANNIKA Foundation; the Institute of International Education, a not-for-profit organization focused on advancing scholarship, promoting access to education, and building economies; and the Library of Congress’ James Madison Council.
He has been recognized by several organizations for his leadership and community commitment. In 2021, The Daily Record named Butler to their “Power 100” list and has singled him out as one of its top 35 Influential Marylanders, as well as listed him three times as one of Maryland’s “Most Admired CEOs.” In 2020, he was honored with the BEYA Chairman’s Award, recognizing Black leaders for their meaningful contributions to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
That same year, he was named among Black Enterprise magazine’s “Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America,” and as Zpryme’s “ETS Thought Leader of the Year,” honoring those with the “inventive and brave vision needed to inspire the global energy ecosystem toward sustainable modernization.” In 2019, the Boy Scouts of America honored him with the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award and he has been named by Baltimore magazine as one of its “Top Ten Baltimoreans.”
Butler earned a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., and a Juris Doctor degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Mo. He received an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Morgan State University in 2014.
CEO, ComEd
Before joining NYPA in 2007, Quiniones held several positions in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, including more than four years as senior vice president of energy and telecommunications. He started his career at Consolidated Edison (Con Edison), one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies and an electric and gas utility serving parts of southeastern New York and northern New Jersey, including New York City. He worked for 16 years at Con Edison, where he cofounded Con Edison Solutions, the utility’s unregulated energy services company.
Quiniones was named as the 2017 Smart Electric Power Alliance Power Player of the Year, an award that recognizes leaders in the front lines of energy transformation in the United States. He also received the Alex Radin Distinguished Service Award from the American Public Power Association.
Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Corporation
Christopher M. Crane is president and chief executive officer of Exelon Corporation, the nation’s largest utility holding company. Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon serves more than 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its six fully regulated transmission and distribution utilities — Atlantic City Electric (ACE), Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), Delmarva Power & Light (DPL), PECO Energy Company (PECO) and Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco).
Prior to Exelon’s separation from Constellation—its former generation and competitive energy businesses—in early 2022, Crane had been president and CEO of Exelon for 10 years. Under his leadership, Exelon transformed into the nation’s leading competitive energy provider. Crane oversaw a family of companies that did business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, with operations that represented every stage of the energy value chain: Exelon Generation, one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 31,000 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets; Constellation, which provided energy products and services to more than 2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100; and the six Exelon utilities that serve more than 10 million customers today. He previously served as president and chief operating officer of Exelon. In that role, he oversaw one of the U.S. industry's largest portfolios of electric generating capacity, with a multi-regional reach and the nation's largest fleet of nuclear power plants. He directed a broad range of business including major acquisitions, transmission strategy, cost management initiatives, oversight of major capital programs, generation asset optimization and generation development.
Crane has worked in the nuclear industry in progressively more responsible positions for over 30 years. He joined Exelon (then ComEd) in 1998 and was named chief nuclear officer in 2004. He was a key player in the dramatic turnaround of ComEd nuclear performance, and the development of Exelon's proprietary Nuclear Management Model, a codification of industry-leading operational, safety, management, regulatory, workforce and financial practices. The model is the key to Exelon Nuclear's sustained excellence in production, cost and overall effectiveness.
Crane assumed responsibility for Exelon's fossil, hydro and renewables facilities, in addition to the nuclear fleet, in 2007. He oversaw a broad range of generation and business development initiatives, including new nuclear development, nuclear operating services, development of the nation's largest urban solar project, innovative decommissioning strategies and asset optimization. He was instrumental in establishing corporate citizenship and public outreach as a plant priority.
Crane was named president of Exelon Generation in 2008, with added responsibility for Power Team, Exelon's former wholesale power trading and competitive retail organization.
Prior to joining Exelon, Crane served as Browns Ferry site vice president for the Tennessee Valley Authority, and worked in new plant start-up at the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant in Texas and Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona.
Crane is an acknowledged leader in the electric utility and nuclear industries. He is former chair and serves on the board of the Edison Electric Institute. He is a member of the board of directors of AEGIS Insurance Services, and former chairman of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and the Nuclear Energy Institute, the nation’s nuclear industry trade association. He is immediate past chairman of the board of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, Get In Chicago and the Economic Club of Washington, DC.
Crane studied at New Hampshire Technical College and attended Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He previously held a senior reactor operator certification.
President and CEO of Metropolitan Family Services
Independent Director since 2021
Ric Estrada is CEO of Metropolitan Family Services, one of Illinois’ largest and best-respected human services agencies. Since joining Metropolitan in 2011, he has helped the agency more than double in revenue and families served.
Ric has three decades of human services leadership experience. Prior to joining Metropolitan he served as First Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS). He previously served as Executive Director of Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago.
Ric also serves on the Board of Directors of Metra, Navy Pier, the Grand Victoria Foundation and A Better Chicago.
Honored as a Marshall Memorial Fellow, Ric also has been recognized as a Leadership Greater Chicago Distinguished Fellow. He has received the City Club of Chicago’s John A. McDermott Award for Distinguished Social Leadership, the University of Illinois at Chicago’s City Partner Award, and the University of Chicago’s Inaugural SSA Social Impact Alumni Award. In addition, Ric was named a Roberto Clemente honoree by the Chicago Cubs and has received the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award from the Chicago Bears. Additional accolades include being named “Person of the Year” by the Corporate Responsibility Group of Chicago, receiving a Kellogg CEO Perspectives Fellowship, and earlier in his career, being selected as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ “40 Under 40.”
Ric’s educational background includes an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M.A. in Social Service Policy and Administration from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, and a B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago.
President of Chicago State University
Independent Director since 2022
Zaldwaynaka (“Z”) Scott is the 12th permanent president of Chicago State University, assuming the role on July 1, 2018. President Scott oversaw the development and advancement of the CSU Strategic Plan 2020-2025, ensuring that the institution will lead with the mission of transformation for students’ lives through innovation and excellence in ethical leadership. She also supervised the launch of a historic re-brand of the University. President Scott is a well-known advocate for equity in higher education, having formed and co-chaired the Equity Working Group, a body of leaders from across the education, public, private, philanthropic, and community development sectors to formulate an action plan for addressing Black student access and success in Illinois higher education.
Prior to her current role, President Scott was an equity partner in a national law firm with an international practice that focused on consulting with senior corporate executives and boards on issues of risk management, regulatory investigations, governance, and corporate compliance. She also spent more than 16 years as a federal criminal prosecutor in the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, where she served as Chief of the General Crimes Section. Upon leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Illinois State Senate confirmed her appointment as Illinois’ first Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Governor and its Public Universities. In this role, she created an independent executive branch state agency from its inception, developed the United States’ first statewide ethics training platform for state government employees, and created a protocol for the investigation of claims of misconduct, waste, fraud, and abuse.
President Scott taught at some of the nation’s most competitive law schools, including Northwestern University School of Law, the University of Chicago Law School, and UIC John Marshall Law School. The Indiana University Maurer School of Law honored her with its Distinguished Service Award (2012) and selected her for induction into the Law School’s Alumni Hall of Fame (2019).
President Scott is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Commercial Club of Chicago. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Shedd Aquarium, and the United States Coast Guard Academy.
President Scott holds a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
President and CEO of SPAAN Tech Inc.
Smita Shah is the Founder and CEO of SPAAN Tech, Inc., an architecture, engineering, and project management firm with 20+ years expertise in public and private infrastructure projects including transportation, aviation, facilities, and telecommunications systems. She has an extensive business and technical background, earning her Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University, a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from M.I.T., and a Post Graduate Certificate in Management Studies from Oxford University.
In recognition of Ms. Shah’s leadership and commitment to the community, she was appointed by President Biden to the President’s Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Additionally, she serves on the Board of the Museum of Science and Industry and as a Trustee of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois and the Harris School Council at University of Chicago. She was the recent past Vice Chair of the Chicago Plan Commission, supporting the development of this great city for the past 14 years. In addition, Ms. Shah serves on the board of MacLean Fogg Company and is a member of the audit committee. She is a Co-Chair of Young President’s Organization (YPO) Chicago, and a member of the Economic Club and Commercial Club of Chicago.
Ms. Shah has received numerous recognitions for her business and civic work, including from Crain's Chicago Business (40 Under 40, Notable NonProfit Leader), American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Consulting Engineers Council. She served as a U.S. delegate for the APEC Women and the Economy Forum (WEF), and is a recipient of the congressionally recognized Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
