Calvin Butler, mainstay of Baltimore civic endeavors, to become CEO of Exelon

Calvin G. Butler Jr., a fixture in the Baltimore region’s civic and business leadership circles, will become CEO of Exelon at the end of this year, the company announced Wednesday.

The Exelon Board of Directors elected Butler after current CEO Chris Crane accelerated his retirement plans for health reasons. Butler had been promoted to president and chief operating officer only a month ago as part of the company’s leadership succession plan.

Crane will work with Butler through the end of the year on the transition process, the company said.

Prior to being promoted to president and COO in October, Butler had served as senior executive vice president and COO since February. He previously served as Exelon Utilities CEO, with oversight of Exelon’s six electric and gas delivery companies, and as head of Baltimore Gas & Electric.

“Leading Exelon is a privilege and responsibility that I take very seriously,” Butler said. “At Exelon, we are uniquely positioned to lead the nation and our industry to a clean energy future that is safe, reliable, affordable and equitable for all.”

Butler joined the company in 2008 and has more than 28 years of leadership experience in the utilities industry and in regulatory, legislative and public affairs.

“Calvin is a man of unquestionable integrity, a talented leader and dedicated to our purpose, our values and ensuring that the benefits of clean energy are shared equitably across all of the communities we serve,” Crane said.

Butler has been a ubiquitous presence in Baltimore’s leadership circles, even as his corporate role drew him away from the city.

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He has served on the boards of several prominent Baltimore-based organizations, including the Baltimore Community Foundation, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Greater Baltimore Committee and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.

He played a pivotal role in the recent merger between the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore.

After the 2015 riots in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, Butler, along with Whiting-Turner CEO Tim Regan, formed the nonprofit TouchPoint to coordinate the offerings of other nonprofits to strengthen the struggling Mondawmin community. And he was a driving force in Exelon’s announcement of a $36 million fund to support minority businesses.

Prior to becoming CEO of Baltimore Gas and Electric in March 2014, Butler served as BGE’s senior vice president for Regulatory and External Affairs. Before joining Exelon in 2008, he held senior leadership roles in external affairs as well as in manufacturing with the print, digital and supply chain solutions company R.R. Donnelley.

Butler takes over at a time when Chicago-based Exelon has completed an aggressive expansion program and as the industry deals with an increased emphasis on renewable energy options and on responding to climate change.

Exelon completed mergers with Constellation Energy in 2012 and with Pepco Holdings in 2016 to create the nation’s largest energy company by customer count. Exelon’s utilities serve more than 10 million customers today.

Butler, a native of St. Louis,  earned a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University; a Juris Doctor degree from Washington University School of Law; and an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Morgan State University.