By: Ashmar Mandou

At the helm of one of the most diverse and leading companies, ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez is in charge of powering the lives of more than four million residential and business customers in Illinois. As Latinxs continue to take on leadership positions across the country, Dominguez views his position with ComEd as one that holds unwavering responsibility. “When I started out there were few Latinos in the classrooms and even fewer as I began my professional career. It is phenomenal the shift occurring and although Latinos, African-Americans, and women are underrepresented in the STEM field, it is extremely important that we continue to create those opportunities,” said Dominguez. “We have made enormous progress, yet we can still make significant improvements when it comes to creating more opportunities for diversity and inclusion.”

Before joining ComEd, Dominguez served as executive vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs and public policy for ComEd parent company Exelon. In that role, he led the development and implementation of federal, state, and regional governmental, regulatory, and public policy strategies for one of the nation’s largest electric companies with approximately $34 billion in annual revenues. Dominguez joined Exelon in 2002 as associate general counsel, responsible for all litigation matters in the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2004, he was named general counsel for ComEd sister company PECO. In 2007, he was named senior vice president of state regulatory and government affairs and general counsel of Exelon Generation. His role expanded in 2009 to include senior vice president of communications, and in 2010 he was named senior vice president of federal regulatory affairs and public policy for Exelon. In 2012, Dominguez became senior vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs and public policy for Exelon. As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end, Dominguez vocalized his stance on the importance of celebrating Latinx contributions to the United States and how youth can elevate their vision.

Pride
I think sometimes the issues around immigration, the national political climate and concerns about the fractures in our immigration systems, sometimes, at least to me as a Latino, they translate into crimes against Latinos and it is a great concern to the underappreciation of Latinos and what they have done, historically in the country and continue to do every day. To me, Hispanic Heritage Month simply means the importance of Latino heritage in this country and all the events we have planned is heightened and more needed than ever before to remind people that without the contributions of Latinos to this country this would be a far less successful country and much different. Latinos have and continue to be such a vibrant source of energy in the country and Latinos who have come and keep coming to this country have demonstrated time and time again that they have given enormous value to the country. They have contributed to this country and have made sacrifices for American freedoms.

Clear Vision
What I try to tell them is always aspire to something higher and better, even if you can’t see it, know that it’s there. Don’t worry that you cannot see the entirety of your future, few of us can, but keep moving forward, keep making progress on education and if you happen to be lucky enough to have a job, constantly evaluate yourself at the end of the year. Ensure that you are moving forward, that you are gaining skills, and that you are delivering value back to the company. If you can do that in the short term, long term will take care of itself. It is a hard one for a lot of Latinos because they are trying to envision a long term future for themselves in a world where they haven’t, by virtue of where they have grown up, seen all the possibilities; so keep your feet moving, keep doing something, keep advancing and the long term will work itself out if you have the short term planned.