Illinois Anne Pramaggiore named new CEO of ComEd

Chicago-based Exelon Corp. realigned its management ranks Friday in anticipation of its merger with Constellation Energy, naming Anne Pramaggiore the first woman chief executive of its Commonwealth Edison unit, Illinois' largest utility.

She will take over for Frank Clark, the utility's current chairman and CEO, who at 66 was already planning to retire after 46 years with the company.

Exelon's merger with Baltimore-based Constellation Energy is expected to close early next year.

Pramaggiore will report to Denis P. O'Brien, who is now executive vice president of Exelon and CEO of Exelon's PECO energy unit.

The company said O'Brien will become senior executive vice president of Exelon Corp. and CEO of Exelon Utilities. He will report to Exelon President and CEO Christopher M. Crane.

In her current role as chief operating officer of ComEd, Pramaggiore has already been running day-to-day operations of the $6.1 billion utility, which delivers electricity to 3.8 million residential and business customers in Northern Illinois.

She was the first female to hold the post of president and the highest-ranking woman at the electric utility.

A graduate of DePaul University law school, she joined the company in 1998 and rose through its regulatory staff. She made her mark directing ComEd's transition to an open and competitive energy market.

Also reporting to O'Brien will be the holding company's other two utility chief executives: Craig Adams, currently senior vice president and COO of PECO, who will become CEO of that business, and Ken DeFontes, CEO of BGE.

Other moves:

-- William A. Von Hoene, Jr., currently executive vice president, finance & legal, will become senior executive vice president and chief strategy officer for the combined company, with responsibility for corporate development, corporate strategy, legal, regulatory, government affairs, investments and communications.

-- Ruth Ann M. Gillis will remain executive vice president, Exelon Corp., president of the Exelon Business Services Co. and chief administrative and diversity officer for the combined company. Gillis will continue to lead the combined company's commercial operations, human resources, information technology and supply practice areas.

-- Matthew F. Hilzinger, currently senior vice president and CFO for Exelon, will become executive vice president and chief integration officer for Exelon Corp. Hilzinger will be the lead executive for all integration activities following the closing of the Exelon-Constellation merger.

-- Jonathan W. "Jack" Thayer, currently chief financial officer for Constellation Energy, will become executive vice president and CFO of the combined company, with responsibility for Exelon's accounting, risk, financial planning & analysis, tax, treasury, investor relations and audit functions.