EEI elects new leadership with Exelon’s Crane named chairman of board

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) announced its new leadership team during its annual convention in Philadelphia on Tuesday, with Exelon Corp. President and CEO Christopher Crane taking the helm as chairman of the board of the national association for investor-owned electric companies.

EEI also elected two vice chairmen: Ben Fowke, chairman, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy and Gerard Anderson, chairman and CEO of Detroit-based DTE Energy.

In his new role, Crane will replace outgoing chairman Lynn Good, president and CEO of Duke Energy, based in Charlotte, N.C.

“Our industry is leading an energy transformation,” Crane said. “I look forward to working with EEI and its members to deepen our workforce development activities to attract, train, and retain talented employees who are passionate about clean energy, serving customers, and supporting the communities where they live and work.”

All three of the electees come to their positions with long resumes. Crane has been with Chicago-based Exelon since 1998 – when it was still ComEd – and has grown alongside the company, which now has operations in 48 states. Specifically, he oversees Exelon Generation, one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators; Constellation, which provides energy products and services to approximately 2 million residential, public sector, and business customers; and Exelon’s six electric and natural gas delivery companies. He has also been a chairman of the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

“Chris, who previously served as an EEI vice chairman, is a strong champion for our industry, and I am looking forward to his continued leadership as our industry works to deliver a clean and resilient energy future for our customers,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn.

The vice chairs supporting him also have extensive histories in the field.

Fowke leads Xcel Energy, which provides electricity for 3.6 million customers and natural gas for 2 million customers in eight western and midwestern states. Fowke previously served as president and chief operating officer with responsibility for overall corporate operations, as well as for Xcel Energy’s four operating companies. Prior to being named president and COO in 2009, Fowke held a variety of executive positions at the company. In addition, he previously held management positions for 10 years at NextEra.

Anderson has held executive positions at DTE since 1993, and has helmed it as CEO since 2010. DTE Energy’s operating units include an electric company serving 2.2 million customers in southeastern Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. DTE Energy’s portfolio also includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading. Anderson also serves as co-chairman
of the EEI Committee on Environment.