Christopher Crane, low-key CEO who expanded size of ComEd parent Exelon, dies

Christopher Crane was the CEO and president of Commonwealth Edison parent company Exelon from 2012 until 2022, a tenure during which he oversaw acquisitions that made Chicago-based firm the nation’s largest energy utility.

With a background as a nuclear engineer, Crane significantly increased the efficiency of Exelon’s nuclear power plants and orchestrated the separation of the company’s utilities and power generation businesses before retiring due to health challenges.

Crane, 65, died of complications from pneumonia April 13 in the intensive care unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said his daughter, Darby Garrity. He had been a Streeterville resident and previously lived for many years in St. Charles.

Born and raised in Franklin, New Hampshire, Crane attended New Hampshire Technical College but did not graduate, his daughter said. He then moved to Arizona, where he first worked in the equestrian field before taking an entry-level job helping to launch the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix.

Crane worked on the launch of the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant in central Texas and after that was the site vice president of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry nuclear plant near Decatur, Alabama.

In 1998, Crane joined what now is known as Exelon as an executive in its nuclear power unit. He was named Exelon’s chief nuclear officer in 2004, and three years later, was given oversight of Exelon’s fossil, hydro and renewables power generation facilities.

“He started his career working on a nuclear plant, and he became the best operator of nuclear plants in the world,” said retired Exelon senior vice president and chief strategy officer Bill Von Hoene. “It was all self-taught — making his way up the ladder in the way that he did was just remarkable.”

In 2008, Crane was named Exelon’s president and chief operating officer, and in 2012, he ascended to CEO. His low-profile public image provided a stark contrast with that of his highly visible predecessor, John Rowe.

Behind the scenes, however, Crane was busy expanding Exelon. He took over as the company was spending $7.9 billion to acquire Baltimore-based Constellation Energy, and in 2016, Exelon paid $6.83 billion to acquire Pepco Holdings, a holding company for several Washington, D.C.-area utilities.

“These two mergers doubled the size of the company and he brought to those companies the same commitment to excellence and continuous improvement, and they became great members of the Exelon family and the acquisitions were very well received by the communities of D.C., Delaware, Philadelphia and places like that,” Von Hoene said.

“Chris was an industry giant, with a list of accomplishments that chart the growth and success of both the energy generation and utility businesses,” Exelon President and CEO Calvin Butler said in a statement.

Crane was an advocate for nuclear power, a controversial field ever since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. Crane regularly spoke out about the benefits of nuclear power, including before elected leaders in statehouses around the country, Von Hoene said.

“To protect consumers against spiking energy prices and for our own national security, we need to maintain fuel diversity in the energy industry,” Crane told the Tribune in 2004.

Late in his tenure as CEO of Exelon, Crane oversaw the separation of its power generation business from its utilities. That meant splitting Exelon’s collection of six regulated electric and gas utilities from its competitive power generation business, which also became a publicly traded firm with the name Constellation Energy.

“Our industry is changing at a rapid pace and our customers expect us to continuously innovate to stay ahead of growing demand for clean energy, evolving business conditions and changing technology,” Crane said in a statement in 2021. “These are two strong, distinct businesses that will benefit from the strategic flexibility to focus on their unique customer, market and community priorities.”

During the federal investigation into former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, prosecutors revealed that Madigan in 2017 had sought the appointment of an associate, former McPier CEO Juan Ochoa, to the board of directors of ComEd. After Ochoa left the board, Crane, who was not implicated, told the Tribune in 2020 that “We take this seriously and we corrected it. It should never happen and it won’t happen again.” Crane said that he believed that everyone who had “orchestrated any of that behavior” had left ComEd.

ComEd’s then-CEO, Anne Pramaggiore, retired in 2019 and was found guilty of conspiracy and bribery charges last year. She is awaiting sentencing.

Crane was board chair of the Museum of Science and Industry from 2019 until 2022, helping to steer the museum through the pandemic, the hiring of a new executive director and the completion of a capital campaign. He also was an active industry participant in increasing the electric utility industry’s workforce development efforts.

Known for shunning the spotlight, Crane eschewed the typical awards that those in his position often receive, Von Hoene said.

“Look at utility CEOs across the country — they get 75 awards a year,” Von Hoene said. “Chris said, ‘Our employees are the people who deserve awards. I’m just doing my job.’ He was so modest — there was no self-aggrandizement in Chris whatsoever. I never saw one ounce of it.”

Crane was twice divorced. In addition to his daughter, he  is survived by his third wife, Jillian Bergner Crane; another daughter, Cassandra; a son, Zachary; and a sister, Mary Willoughby.

There were no services.

Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.