ComEd Chairman, CEO Clark to retire
PRNewswire
CHICAGO — Frank M. Clark, chairman and CEO of ComEd, announced Thursday he will retire from the company upon the closing of parent company Exelon's acquisition of Constellation Energy, which is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2012.
Clark's retirement will cap a 46-year career at the company, which began in the mailroom in 1966. The Chicago native's career at ComEd spans four decadese, with a legacy that developing a work environment that provides opportunities for women, minorities and individuals from nontraditional career paths.
“I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work for a wonderful company, with the great respect and support of (Exelon Chairman and CEO) John Rowe,” Clark said. “I consider the opportunity to lead ComEd during some of the most challenging periods in its history an experience for which I am forever grateful. Looking ahead to the next chapter in my life, I have every confidence that ComEd will continue to build upon its status as a leading performer in our industry.”
Clark, 66, was appointed the company's first African-American chairman and CEO in 2005. In 2001, he was named the company's first African-American president.
“Frank is an extraordinary, dedicated leader who has served our company and our customers extremely well,” Rowe said. “He is also a tirelessly devoted humanitarian, a passionate supporter of education and someone I have been proud to call my colleague and friend.”
After serving two years in the U.S. Army, including a year in Vietnam, Clark returned to ComEd and worked in a variety of positions while also returning to school and eventually earning bachelor's and law degrees from DePaul University.
Clark's ComEd career includes key leadership positions in a number of business areas, including regulatory, governmental and community affairs; distribution services; customer service operations; marketing and sales; and information technology.
Along with his wife, Vera, and John and Jeanne Rowe, Clark is a co-founder of the Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy, a high school on Chicago's West Side dedicated to providing the math and science skills students need before going to college.
Clark's decades-long history of civic involvement includes service on the board of trustees of the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, DePaul University and the University of Chicago Medical Center; the board of directors of Metropolitan Family Services (past chair); and the executive committee of The Chicago Community Trust, which he currently chairs. In addition, he is co-chair of the capital campaign of the DuSable Museum of African American History.
Clark also is chairman of the board of directors for BMO Financial Corp. and serves on the board of directors for Waste Management, Inc. and Aetna Inc.