Christopher M. Crane, the President and CEO of Exelon Corporation, has been named the 27th recipient of the Daniel H. Burnham Award for Distinguished Leadership. The Burnham Award is presented annually by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce to a Chicagoan who demonstrates exceptional business and civic leadership. Crane will receive the honor tonight along with a First Edition print of the Burnham Plan of Chicago at the Burnham Award Dinner at the Hilton Chicago.

Crane guides the nation’s leading competitive energy provider and the only electric company in the Fortune 100. He is an acknowledged leader in the electric utility and nuclear industries, driving innovative clean energy solutions. He is a vice chairman of the Edison Electric Institute and chairman of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, the industry organization promoting the highest levels of safety and reliability in nuclear plant operations.

Under Crane’s leadership, in 2017 the Exelon family of companies and the Exelon Foundation provided more than $52 million in charitable contributions across the company’s service area, impacting nearly 3.8 million lives. Crane is a strong supporter of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs, which he believes are an essential part of developing the workforce of the future. Last year, Exelon invested more than $3 million and reached over 140,000 students through STEM education programs. Crane is a major proponent of advancing gender equality at every level of the workforce, which is why the Exelon Foundation committed an additional $3 million for initiatives to support STEM education for girls and increase the retention of women in the company. Crane is a UN Women HeForShe thematic champion, a member of the board of directors of the Museum of Science & Industry and Get-In Chicago, and he is personally engaged in education programs that prepare students to be the next generation of leaders in STEM fields.

The 27th year of the Burnham Award is part of a new era in which business, community and philanthropy are more integrated, inclusive and stronger. The Chicago business community is building on the accomplishments of the original Burnham Award recipients (video at this link), who taught Chicago how great business leaders can also be great civic leaders. Like Daniel Burnham himself, they and Christopher Crane “Make no little plans.”

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The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce represents more than 1,000 member organizations that employ 400,000 people and create more than $24 billion in revenue. It combines the power of its membership with a legacy of leadership and business advocacy to drive a dynamic economy. The Chicagoland Chamber focuses on delivering value for its members, making Chicagoland a world-class place to live and work.