John Rowe (CEO) Exelon
Encyclopedia
John W. Rowe is the chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of the energy corporation Exelon
Corporation, a utility holding company headquartered in Chicago. Exelon has the largest market capitalization in the electric utility industry. 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.
Rowe is best known for his vocal support of the proposed cap and trade mechanism for carbon emission control.
His company left the US Chamber of Commerce
over the latter's highly public opposition to cap and trade.
. 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 and Beale. Rowe is a past chairman of Nuclear Energy Institute
and the Edison Electric Institute
. He is also co-chairman of the National Commission on Energy Policy, an industry and environmental organization dealing with climate change. He is a member of the boards of directors of Sunoco, the Northern Trust Company, and UChicago Argonne LLC, which is responsible for governance of the Argonne National Laboratory
. In both 2008 and 2009, Institutional Investor
named Rowe the best electric utilities CEO in America. He is also a commissioner on President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future which will provide policy recommendations to the president regarding the storage of nuclear waste, nuclear recycling / reprocessing and nuclear reactor technology.
and President of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
. He is the former chairman of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and the Chicago History Museum. He is a member of the boards of the Field Museum and the Morgridge Institute for Research
. Along with his wife, Jeanne, and son, William, he established the Rowe Family Charitable Trust. The Rowes and the Family Trust have founded the Rowe Professorship of Architecture and the Rowe Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Energy at IIT, the Rowe Professorship of Byzantine History and the Rowe Family 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 also co-founded the Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy
in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park neighborhood. The Rowes serve as patrons of the Pope John Paul II parochial school on Chicago’s southwest side and the Rowe Elementary School. Rowe is also chairman of the Renaissance Schools Fund, a nonprofit organization formed to fund charter schools in the City of Chicago.
. 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 and Thomas College
.
Rowe and his wife, Jeanne, reside in Chicago, as does their son, William, an associate with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom
.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the energy corporation Exelon
Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an electricity generating and distributing company headquartered in the Chase Tower in the Chicago Loop area of Chicago. It was created in October, 2000 by the merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom, of Philadelphia and Chicago respectively. Unicom owned Commonwealth Edison...
Corporation, a utility holding company headquartered in Chicago. Exelon has the largest market capitalization in the electric utility industry. 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.
Rowe is best known for his vocal support of the proposed cap and trade mechanism for carbon emission control.
His company left the US Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
over the latter's highly public opposition to cap and trade.
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 EdisonCommonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison is the largest electric utility in Illinois, serving the Chicago and Northern Illinois area...
. 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
Consolidated Rail Corporation
The Consolidated Rail Corporation, commonly known as Conrail , was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeast U.S. between 1976 and 1999. The federal government created it to take over the potentially profitable lines of bankrupt carriers, including the Penn Central Transportation Company and...
, and was a partner in the law firm of Isham, Lincoln and Beale. Rowe is a past chairman of Nuclear Energy Institute
Nuclear Energy Institute
The Nuclear Energy Institute is a nuclear industry lobbying group in the United States.- Synopsis :According to its website, the NEI "develops policy on key legislative and regulatory issues affecting the industry. NEI then serves as a unified industry voice before the U.S...
and the Edison Electric Institute
Edison Electric Institute
The Edison Electric Institute is the association of United States shareholder-owned electric power companies. Its members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry...
. He is also co-chairman of the National Commission on Energy Policy, an industry and environmental organization dealing with climate change. He is a member of the boards of directors of Sunoco, the Northern Trust Company, and UChicago Argonne LLC, which is responsible for governance of the Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
. In both 2008 and 2009, Institutional Investor
Institutional Investor (magazine)
Institutional Investor magazine is a monthly periodical published by Euromoney Institutional Investor. A separate international edition of the magazine was established in 1976 for readers in Europe and Asia. Capital Cities Communications purchased the magazine in 1984...
named Rowe the best electric utilities CEO in America. He is also a commissioner on President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future which will provide policy recommendations to the president regarding the storage of nuclear waste, nuclear recycling / reprocessing and nuclear reactor technology.
Compensation
While CEO of Exelon in 2009, John W. Rowe earned a total compensation of $12,036,882, which included a base salary of $1,468,077, a cash bonus of $1,573,825, stocks granted of $6,341,383, and options granted of $2,236,650.Civic and Charitable Commitment
Rowe is committed to a wide variety of civic and charitable activities, with a focus on education, science, history and diversity. He serves as chairman of the Illinois Institute of TechnologyIllinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
and President of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is the nonprofit technology transfer office of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It is a significant source of research support, independent of federal grants...
. He is the former chairman of the Commercial Club of Chicago
Commercial Club of Chicago
The Commercial Club of Chicago is an anti-labor club resulted from the 1907 merger of two predecessor Chicago clubs: the Merchants Club and the Commercial Club . Its most active members included George Pullman, Marshall Field, Cyrus McCormick, George Armour, Frederic Delano, Sewell Avery, Rufus...
and the Chicago History Museum. He is a member of the boards of the Field Museum and the Morgridge Institute for Research
Morgridge Institute for Research
The Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute in Madison, Wis., affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison...
. Along with his wife, Jeanne, and son, William, he established the Rowe Family Charitable Trust. The Rowes and the Family Trust have founded the Rowe Professorship of Architecture and the Rowe Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Energy at IIT, the Rowe Professorship of Byzantine History and the Rowe Family 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 also co-founded the Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy
Noble Street Charter High School
Noble Street Charter High School is a public charter high school in Chicago with multiple campuses throughout the city:*Chicago Bulls College Prep *Gary Comer College Prep...
in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park neighborhood. The Rowes serve as patrons of the Pope John Paul II parochial school on Chicago’s southwest side and the Rowe Elementary School. Rowe is also chairman of the Renaissance Schools Fund, a nonprofit organization formed to fund charter schools in the City of Chicago.
Awards and recognition
Rowe has been widely recognized for his civic and professional leadership. Recent awards include:- Institutional Investor'sInstitutional Investor (magazine)Institutional Investor magazine is a monthly periodical published by Euromoney Institutional Investor. A separate international edition of the magazine was established in 1976 for readers in Europe and Asia. Capital Cities Communications purchased the magazine in 1984...
Best CEOs in America (2008, 2009) - The Edison Electric InstituteEdison Electric InstituteThe Edison Electric Institute is the association of United States shareholder-owned electric power companies. Its members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry...
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’sChicagoland Chamber of CommerceThe Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization promoting business in the Chicago metropolitan area of the United States. The Chamber is a voice at local, state and national levels for approximately 2,600 member companies and their 1.3 million employees...
Daniel H. Burnham Award for Business and Civic Leadership (2008) - Induction into the Junior AchievementJunior AchievementJunior Achievement or JA or JA Worldwide is a non-profit youth organization that was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and senator Winthrop M. Crane. JA focuses on educating kids in K-12 about the free enterprise system...
’s Chicago Business Hall of Fame (2008) - Illinois Holocaust Museum’s Humanitarian Award (2008)
- Civic Federation of ChicagoChicago Civic Federation- Summary :The Civic Federation is a Chicago-based non-partisan research organization focused on governments in the Chicago area and the state of Illinois...
’s Lyman Gage Award for Outstanding Civic Leadership (2008) - The National Latino Education Institute Corporate Leadership Award (2008)
- University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
’s Executive of the Year Award (2007) - The Union League of Philadelphia’s Founder’s Award for Business Leadership (2005)
- The American Jewish CommitteeAmerican Jewish CommitteeThe American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
’s Civic Leadership Award (2004) - El Valor’s Corporate Visionary Award (2003)
- The City Club of ChicagoCity Club of ChicagoThe City Club of Chicago is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization intended to foster civic responsibility, promote public issues, and provide a forum for open political debate. Founded in 1903, it is the longest-running public policy forum in Chicago.- History :When the City Club began,...
’s Citizen of the Year Award (2002) - The Anti-Defamation LeagueAnti-Defamation LeagueThe Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
's World of Difference Award (2000)
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 CoifOrder of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
. He has also received that university’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Rowe holds honorary doctorates from the University of Wisconsin, DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
, Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Bryant College and Thomas College
Thomas College
Thomas College is a small, liberal arts college located in Waterville, Maine, U.S. It was founded in 1894 as a non-sectarian, co-educational college dedicated to career training. Thomas specializes in business, education, and technology...
.
Rowe and his wife, Jeanne, reside in Chicago, as does their son, William, an associate with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates , founded in 1948, is a prominent law firm based in New York City. With over 2,000 attorneys, it is one of the largest and highest-grossing law firms in the world. Forbes magazine calls Skadden "Wall Street's most powerful law firm"...
.