Zpryme announced today that Calvin G. Butler Jr., Senior Executive Vice President, Exelon, Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Utilities has been selected as the 2020 “ETS Thought Leader of the Year.” Butler was chosen for the recognition amongst a group of peers following voting by ETS alumni, committee, and participants.

The “ETS Thought Leader of the Year” award salutes an individual among the ETS community of thought leaders who possesses the type of inventive and brave vision needed to inspire the global energy ecosystem toward sustainable modernization and will take place September 15-17 & 22-24, 2020, virtually.

Butler, along with other industry nominees, was first identified by the ETS20 Advisory Committee and Zpryme staff in January before the voters made the ultimate decision.

“The level of commitment to this community, staff, and customers that Calvin Butler provides is really inspiring,” stated Jason Rodriguez Zpryme Co-Founder and CEO. “Calvin is driving innovation and Exelon utilities are providing customers safe, reliable, and affordable energy, all while helping build Exelon’s next-generation energy grid with a focus on sustainability, resiliency and reliability.”

Butler, upon learning of his selection for this award, said, “I am honored to receive the ETS 2020 Thought Leader of the Year Award from Zpryme, and I accept it on behalf of Exelon’s 33,000 employees, who are reimagining and reshaping what it means to be a clean energy provider, transforming the grid and growing our connections with customers and the communities we serve. At Exelon, we are harnessing the expertise and determination of our workforce to modernize our energy infrastructure and address climate change, as underscored by our commitment to electrify half of our utility vehicle fleet by 2030. Zpryme’s recognition validates that we are on the right path as we deliver for our customers.”

Butler Jr. oversees Exelon’s six local electric and natural gas companies, including Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco. Those companies form the nation’s largest utility company by customer base and serve approximately 10 million electric and gas customers in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, respectively.

As board chair of the Gridwise Alliance, Butler serves as head of an advocacy organization promoting modernization and innovation for the nation’s electrical grid. Butler also serves as an Independent Trustee of the PNC Funds Board, and serves on the Board of Directors for RLI Corp, serving as a member of its audit and nominations/governance committees.

Previously, Butler served as CEO of BGE from 2014-2019. Prior to that role, Butler was BGE’s Senior VP of Regulatory and External Affairs. Butler served as Exelon’s Senior VP of Corporate Affairs and held other leadership positions at Exelon and BGE’s sister utility, ComEd in Chicago. He spent his early career with CILCORP (Central Illinois Light Co.), where he held positions in government affairs, legal and strategy.

Butler was honored during a virtual ceremony to kick off the 7th annual Energy Thought Summit (ETS20) on July 9, 2020.

About ETS20

ETS20 will take place September 15-17 & 22-24, 2020, virtually. For more information, to purchase badges or see a list of participating thought leaders, please visit ets20.co.

Join us to celebrate seven years of ETS as we honor the heroes like Calvin G. Butler who help provide safe and reliable electricity while modernizing our electric grid.

About Zpryme

Based in Austin, Texas, Zpryme is a research-based firm with agency-geared services focused on energy and technology. Based on the creative direction of our associates, Zpryme produces influential research and events that challenge the status quo and offer innovative marketing solutions for fully-immersive brand experiences. For more information, visit zpryme.com.

Thought Leader of the Year Acceptance Remarks by: Calvin G. Butler Jr., Senior Executive Vice President, Exelon, Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Utilities 

I am honored to accept the 2020 ETS Thought Leader of the Year Award from Z Pride. Today, I’m accepting this award on behalf of the 33,000 employees of Exelon who bring clean, affordable energy safely to our 10 million customers in cities and towns across Delaware, the district of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. At Exelon we are re-imagining and reshaping what it means to be an energy provider, transforming the grid and growing our connections with the communities we serve. That begins with every employee who asks themselves, what will my role be in the clean energy future? How can we come together and foster innovation for our customers? Every day at Exelon, we are harnessing the expertise and determination of our workforce, not only to keep the lights on and the gas flowing, but also to tackle the most pressing issue of our time, climate change.

And we know that climate change and pollution disproportionately harm the health of residents in underserved communities. We are called to action and we are leading. As the nation’s largest producer of carbon free energy, we power more than 20 million homes and businesses with clean energy. Our fleet is almost four times as clean as our nearest peer. We are pushing even further though and in the past year announced our $20 million climate change investment initiative to cultivate startups working on new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. In June, Exelon Utilities unveiled our commitment to electrify half of our fleet by 2030. That can reduce annual emissions by more than 65,000 metric tons equivalent to the carbon removed by 1 million trees planted and grown for 10 years. We know that transportation electrification will help the cities and States in which we operate, meet their environmental goals, reduce their carbon footprint and bring cleaner air to all communities that we serve.

We are proud to lead by example, as one of the first utility companies to take major steps to electrify our own fleet. We are a leader in advocating for clean energy policies at the State, regional and federal levels, including a major push to adopt carbon pricing policies. We are cultivating a culture of innovation at Exelon that promotes the early adoption of promising new technologies and methodologies. Our Exelon Utilities Analytics Academy is creating an ecosystem in which our employees harness the power of data to better serve our customers and communities and develop our workforce. And I am perhaps most proud that as we grapple with the pressing issue of climate change, Exelon’s long standing commitment to diversity and inclusion means that all voices are welcomed, heard and respected as we innovate.

Our diversity drives our success. That needs building a diverse workforce and culture, seeking out supporting business partners who reflect our diversity goals and empowering diverse communities through workforce development, corporate giving and community engagement. At Exelon we believe that reliable, clean and affordable energy is essential to a brighter, more sustainable future. That’s why we’re committed to providing innovation, best in class performance and thought leadership to help drive progress for our customers and communities. That doesn’t happen alone. It doesn’t happen with one thought lead, it happens with every employee, every leader across our company and every partner within our communities. I am humbled by this award and I share it with our Exelon family. Thank you.