At ComEd, providing best-in-class reliable service to more than 9 million people in the region is only made possible through the work of over 6,600 employees, a quarter of which are women working in a wide variety of roles – from finance and engineering to linework and IT. With more work to be done to increase women representation, particularly in STEM and trades fields, ComEd is committed to opening pathways so that its workforce reflects the vibrant communities it serves. That’s why, through a series of internal and external networking, education, and work-based events, ComEd Women’s History Month (WHM) celebrations this year focused on women educating and inspiring the next generations.
Read below to learn about some of ComEd’s WHM highlights.
Participant of the Women Climb Clinic
Women in Construction Week
The first week of March is recognized as Women in Construction Week and kicked off WHM celebrations at ComEd with a youth exposure event and a Women’s Climb Clinic.
On March 5, the ComEd Chicago Training Center (CTC) opened its doors to 40 high school girls from community organizations Lumity, Ladies of Virtue, Polished Pebbles, and Dream Academy Foundation. The teenage girls had the opportunity to hear from a panel of women leaders at ComEd, tour the training pole yard and the Smart Energy Hub, and build mBot robots alongside mentors to learn about coding, mechanics, and engineering.
Later that week, 27 adult women from the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, Erie Neighborhood House, and North Lawndale Employment Network visited the CTC to participate in a Women’s Climb Clinic for an inside look at what it takes to join trades roles at ComEd. They heard from a panel of women field employees at different stages of their careers and learned about entry-level trades positions at the company before practicing climbing utility poles themselves. The event was organized to encourage more women to pursue good-paying trades careers in the energy sector. Industry-wide, female participation in craft roles is 4.3 percent. In 2024, ComEd hired more women into entry-level field positions that lead to becoming a lineworker, representing a more than 70 percent increase in women in craft positions at the company in one year – an achievement supported by events like climb clinics.
Cheryl Maletich, Senior Vice President of Transmission and Substation, and Najwa Abouhassan, Senior Manager of Operations Planning speaking to young women
Women History Month STEM Labs
On March 22, ComEd hosted a STEM Labs event, which hosted 50 local high school girls for a day of mentoring, networking, and learning about STEM careers. A panel of women leaders in engineering shared their education and career paths and served as inspiration for the teenagers’ future aspirations. With U.S. women making up only 24 percent of the STEM workforce and a surging demand for engineering talent, ComEd works to connect young women to role models who are not only closing the gender gap but are also making significant contributions in the field.
Network of Exelon Women
The Network of Exelon Women (NEW) is a women-focused employee resource group, offered through ComEd’s parent company Exelon, that is committed to increasing gender diversity and empowering employees to reach their potential.
NEW at Girls Inc. of Chicago
In March, the ComEd chapter of NEW organized a series of events and volunteering opportunities to support women employees in advancing their careers while ensuring they pave the way for future women leaders in the energy sector. Internal opportunities included a WHM trivia challenge, panels and fireside chats with women leaders, and a Generational Recipe event to exchange recipes passed down by inspiring women in employees’ families. Members of NEW served as mentors in the Women in Construction and STEM Labs events and also put on their own youth-centered event. On March 25, NEW members visited Girls Inc. of Chicago to engage 25 middle and high school girls in hands-on STEM activities. Participants built working models of overhead powerlines and a microgrid by learning how to wire pole circuits while exploring meaningful careers in the utility field.
Women History Month is a time to celebrate the contributions of women throughout history and to recognize their efforts to “walk” so that future generations could “run.” ComEd is proud to continue expanding opportunities for anyone interested in pursuing rewarding careers in the energy sector and does this through a variety of education and training programs – which reached more than 2,400 local residents last year alone. For more information on year-round opportunities for youth and adults, visit ComEd.com/CleanEnergyJobs.
