Exelon, Southern Company
Former NARUC President Paul Kjellander, also former Idaho PUC President, is Senior Advisor at Public Utilities Fortnightly.
It was the last day of 2022. While most Americans were getting ready to celebrate the new year that evening, Calvin Butler had something else in mind. On the thirty-first of December, Butler became Exelon's Chief Executive Officer. Even after that company's separation from Constellation Energy last February, Exelon is one of the largest five electric utilities in the U.S.
As is Southern Company, which will also have a new CEO beginning on the twenty-fourth of this May. On that day, the unprecedented will happen. When Chris Womack takes the reins at Southern, two African American men will lead two of the largest five utilities.
Notably, the three other of the largest five will be led by women, Lynn Good at Duke Energy, Patti Poppe at PG&E, and Julie Sloat at American Electric Power. Which is a truly stunning development. Until just a few years ago, the year 2013 specifically when Good became Duke's CEO, throughout the history of the utilities industry, Caucasian men have led all five of the largest utilities.
Indeed, they have led every large utility, not only the largest five of them, since Thomas Edison launched the first of his "illuminating companies" in the mid eighteen eighties. Starting this May, such will be the case at not one of the largest five.