CHICAGO, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Three ComEd executives were named by U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology Magazine to its annual list of the 100 Most Important Blacks in Technology. The three are ComEd Chairman and CEO Frank M. Clark; George Williams, senior vice president of operations; and Kevin Brookins, vice president of work management and new business.
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The 2008 list features executives from 82 companies, and ComEd placed the third-highest number of executives, behind IBM and aerospace and defense contractor Northrop Grumman.
"I'm honored to be recognized," Clark said, "but more importantly, ComEd's ability to place three executives on this prestigious list reflects how respected ComEd is as a technological leader. This also underscores ComEd's strong diversity record, which we view as a distinct business advantage that contributes to our continuing ability to provide our customers with reliable, affordable service."
According to 2007 figures, 20 percent of ComEd's 5,900 employees are African American, including 25 percent of the company's executives.
Said Frank McCoy, editor-in-chief of U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology, "The list is a microcosm of black technical achievement and spotlights leaders who are helping define, influence and control the course of U.S. technological change."
McCoy said since the publication has a large college readership, the 2008 list also includes the academic degrees earned by each executive. McCoy said, "I thought it was significant that 43 of the executives hold multiple degrees. This includes 18 who have a golden combination of a math- or science-related degree and an MBA."
The magazine began the issue in 2002. Since then Clark has been featured twice. Williams has appeared three times, and Brookins makes his first appearance this year.
Clark joined ComEd in 1966 and has overseen a wide variety of corporate and frontline functions. These include customer service operations; marketing and sales; regulatory, governmental and community affairs; information technology; communications; human resources; labor relations; and distribution services.
Williams joined ComEd in 2006 and has 24 years of utility experience. As ComEd's senior vice president of operations, he oversees one of the nation's largest electrical distribution systems. He came to ComEd after 4 1/2 years at Entergy, which included more than three years as vice president of operations at Entergy's Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, a boiling water reactor in Port Gibson, Miss. He began his career at Philadelphia-based PECO Energy.
Brookins began his career at ComEd in 1983 as an analyst in corporate planning. As vice president of work management and new business at ComEd, he is responsible for the prioritization and scheduling of construction and maintenance activities as well as the design and construction of new service connections.
To see the entire list of Top Blacks in Technology, visit http://www.blackengineer.com/ and click on the link to the Jan. 7 issue.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation , one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.
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