John W. Rowe Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Corporation

Profile

John W. Rowe is the chairman and chief executive officer of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities.  Its retail affiliates serve 5.4 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and its generation affiliate operates the largest fleet of nuclear power plants in the nation.

Industry Leadership

Rowe is the senior chief executive in the utility industry, having served in such positions since 1984.  Rowe has led Exelon since its formation in 2000 through the merger of PECO Energy and the parent of Commonwealth Edison. Rowe previously held chief executive officer positions at the New England Electric System and Central Maine Power Company, served as general counsel of Consolidated Rail Corporation, and was a partner in the law firm of Isham, Lincoln & Beale.  Rowe is the past chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute and the Edison Electric Institute.  He was co-chairman of the National Commission on Energy Policy and serves on the Secretary of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, a panel to provide recommendations on managing used nuclear fuel and waste.  He is the lead independent director of the Northern Trust Company and a member of the board of directors of Sunoco.  In both 2008 and 2009, Institutional Investor named Rowe the best electric utility CEO in America.

Civic and Charitable Commitment

Rowe is committed to a wide variety of civic activities, with a focus on education and diversity.  He serves as chairman of the Illinois Institute of Technology and president of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.  He is a former chairman of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Chicago History Museum.  He is a member of the boards of the Field Museum, the Illinois Holocaust Museum, and the Morgridge Institute for Research.  Rowe and his wife, Jeanne, established the Rowe Family Charitable Trust.  The Rowes and the Family Trust have founded the Rowe Professorship of Architecture and the Rowe Chair in Sustainable Energy at IIT, the Rowe Professorship in Byzantine History and the Rowe Professorship in Greek History at the University of Wisconsin, the Rowe Professorship in Virology at the Morgridge Institute and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and the Curator of Evolutionary Biology at the Field Museum.  The Trust co-founded the Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy and the Rowe Elementary School.  The Rowes serve as patrons of the Pope John Paul II parochial school on Chicago’s southwest side.  Rowe is chairman of New Schools for Chicago, a nonprofit organization formed to fund charter schools in the City of Chicago, and serves on the board of the Northwestern Settlement House.

Awards and Recognition

Rowe has been widely recognized for his civic and professional leadership.  Recent awards include:

• The Leadership in Industry Award from The Keystone Center (2011)
• Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Spirit of Shakespeare Award (2011)
• The Misericordia Heart of Mercy Award (2010)
• The Edison Electric Institute Distinguished Leadership Award (2009)
• Election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2009)
• The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Global Leadership Award (2009)
• The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce’s Daniel H. Burnham Award for Business and Civic Leadership (2008)
• The Junior Achievement’s Chicago Business Hall of Fame (2008), Illinois Holocaust Museum’s Humanitarian award (2008)
• Civic Federation of Chicago’s Lyman Gage Award for Outstanding Civic Leadership (2008)
• The National Latino Education Institute Corporate Leadership Award (2008)
• University of Arizona’s Executive of the Year Award (2007)
• The Union League of Philadelphia’s Founder’s Award for Business Leadership (2005)
• The American Jewish Committee’s Civic Leadership Award (2004)
• El Valor’s Corporate Visionary Award (2003)
• The City Club of Chicago’s Citizen of the Year Award (2002)
• The Anti-Defamation League's World of Difference Award (2000)

Visit the Awards & Recognition page to see more Exelon achievements

Education and Family

Rowe holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif.  He has also received that university’s Distinguished Alumni Award.  Rowe holds honorary doctorates from the University of Wisconsin, DePaul University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Drexel University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Bryant College, Thomas College and Dominican University.

Rowe and his wife, Jeanne, reside in Chicago, as does their son, William.