John Hooker

Senior vice president of Commonwealth Edison, John Timothy Hooker was born on November 25, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois. The son of Mississippi immigrants Arthur and Rosa Horton Hooker, Hooker grew up in Chicago’s Lawndale community located on the West Side. He attended Theodore Hertzel Elementary School, Hess Upper Grade Center and Farragut High School. At Hess Upper Grade Center, Hooker was inspired by civil rights activist Al Raby and teacher Warner Sanders. Graduating from Farragut High School in 1966, Hooker got married and was hired by Commonwealth Edison that same year.

Starting in the company mailroom at ComEd, Hooker learned as much as possible about the company. Hooker rose to clerk typist, to time keeper, to material clerk, and by 1974, he was promoted to human relations representative. Then in 1976, Hooker began working in the marketing department where he was promoted to director of marketing for Bolingbrook, Illinois and the western suburbs in 1984. In 1987, he became the ComEd liaison to the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and City Hall. Hooker went on to earn his B.S. degree from Chicago State University in 1990 and helped found the Exelon African American Members Association (EAAMA). Hooker served as area manager for ComEd in the western Chicago suburbs and director of external affairs. Later, in 1995, Hooker was named director of governmental affairs and influenced the passage of the Illinois Consumer Choice Law of 1997. Hooker was promoted to vice president of property management for Exelon Energy Delivery, and in 2000, he became an officer of the company. In 2004, Hooker was appointed senior vice president of Commonwealth Edison.

A 1994 participant in Leadership Greater Chicago, Hooker serves on several boards including: the Chicago State University Foundation, Peoples Consumer Cooperative, the Safer Foundation, Junior Achievement and the African American Initiative. Hooker is a member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. He is also a member of Chicago University’s Business Hall of Fame Committee and is involved in the Chicago Public School’s Youth Motivation program.

Hooker lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife, Kim. They have three adult children.

Hooker was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on February 22, 2008.