PORTLAND, Ore. — The Green Building Initiative (GBI) is pleased to announce the election of Dr. Charles Kibert, professor and director of the Powell Center for Construction and Environment at the University of Florida, as chair of its board of directors. GBI’s membership also elected three new directors, Sara Greenwood, GGP, principal of the Greenwood Consulting Group; Tehmina Husain, GGP, GPCP, and senior sustainability consultant of Merrick and Company; and Andrea Rutledge, CAE, CEO of the Construction Management Association of America to the board with terms through December 2023.

“I am honored and humbled for the opportunity to lead an organization that has displayed such a strong commitment to improving the built environment,” said Dr. Kibert. “Our global environmental and health challenges require urgent action. GBI’s programs are assets to building owners who need roadmaps and tools like Green Globes right now. I look forward to continuing our work with GBI’s volunteer experts, Green Globes Professionals, and assessors to sharpen our focus on sustainability, health, and resilience issues in buildings.”

Kibert is taking the reins at a time when GBI is poised for significant expansion. Having certified more than 2,000 properties in the U.S. and Canada that cover more than 378 million square feet of commercial and multifamily spaces, GBI’s future initiatives include increased focus on promoting net-zero solutions, resilience strategies, and facilitating cooperation on ESG goals for corporations and REITs. Additionally, GBI’s leadership envisions incremental global expansion for the organization over the next several years.

“Dr. Kibert and our new and returning board members bring the expertise and passion that will be required to help our nation and global community through the challenges wrought by pandemic and uncertainty,” said Vicki Worden, president and CEO of GBI. “GBI looks forward to being an active contributor to making forward progress on our collective climate-related priorities in 2021.”

GBI has gained a reputation during its 16-year history for making aspirational goals more achievable through user-friendly tools built upon comprehensive standards. According to Worden, this cumulative success is built on the dedication of expert volunteers who give thousands of hours to the organization. GBI’s membership growth is a signal of the organization’s momentum. Worden cites that: “GBI now is comprised of more than 700 industry professionals and sustainability-minded organizations. Nearly 70% of our members are practitioners contributing to making a difference with every building.” 

The three new directors joining Kibert and the board are positioned to make an immediate impact. Greenwood joins GBI’s leadership having completed more than seventy Green Globes projects and brings an unrivaled understanding of the green building landscape. Husain has overseen numerous Green Globes and Guiding Principles Compliance projects and holds both GBI’s Green Globes Professional (GGP) and Guiding Principles Compliance (GPCP) credentials. Finally, as the CEO and president of Construction Management Association of America, Rutledge brings extensive association management experience along with a record of successful leadership development to GBI.

“The new board members each offer a unique and valuable set of experience and skills, and all are proven leaders with an expressed desire to make GBI an even stronger organization,” said Ralph Egües, cChair of GBI’s nominations & governance committee. “Of course, we are delighted to be adding these three accomplished women as we continue to make progress in building a diverse board reflective of GBI’s community.”

Greenwood, Husain, and Rutledge enthusiastically join a multi-stakeholder board of directors featuring representatives from construction companies, architectural firms, academic institutions, NGOs, and industry. The GBI board members provide strategic direction for the organization, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, incorporated in Portland. GBI has eight committees where volunteers oversee the organization’s education offerings, engagement, tools, standards, and other aspects of its efforts to fulfill its vision of sustainable, healthy, and resilient buildings for all. Additionally, the organization conducts technical reviews of its rating systems using its ANSI-approved consensus procedures that include multiple public comment periods, a balanced consensus body, and audits completed by ANSI resulting in “approved American National Standard” status.

2021 GBI Board of Directors

• Tim Atkinson, GBI Immediate Past Chair, Vice President of Sales, Stimson Lumber, Portland, Oregon – term 2021
• Stephen Del Percio, VP and Assistant General Counsel, AECOM, New York City – term 2021
• Ralph Egües, Jr., Managing Partner & Consultant, Cruz Fox LLC, Miami – term 2021
• Sara Greenwood, GGP, Principal, The Greenwood Consulting Group, LLC, Kansas City, Missouri – term 2023
• Tehmina Husain, GGP, GPCP, Sustainability Consultant, Merrick & Company, Decatur, Georgia – term 2023
• Charles Kibert, Ph.D., PE, GGA, GBI Chair, Holland Professor, Powell Center for Construction & Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida – term 2023
• Sydney Lindquist, Global Sustainability Leader, Hexion, Columbus, Ohio – term 2021
• Kerry Little, Corporate Sustainability Manager, Arauco North America, St. Stephen, New Brunswick – term 2021
• John Lister, Principal, JL Architects, West Chester, Pennsylvania – term 2021
• Kathy Loftus, Vice President, Business Development, e2s LLC, Windham, New Hampshire – term 2022
• Donald Martin, Principal, Marston Design Studio, Ball Ground, Georgia – term 2021
• Rich Mitchell, GBI Past Chair, Managing Principal, Mackenzie, Portland, Oregon – term 2021
• Amlan Mukherjee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Michigan Technical University, Houghton, Michigan – term 2022
• Jenna Rowe, Independent Consultant, Indianapolis, Indiana – term 2021
• Andrea Rutledge, CAE, President & CEO, Construction Management Assn. of America, Vienna, Virginia – term 2023
• Richard Schroeder, President & CEO, Cresline Pipe & Fitting Co., Evansville, Indiana – term 2022
• Brenda Steinhauer, GGP, Quality Manager, W.A. Richardson Builders, Las Vegas, Nevada – term 2023
• Tim Thiel, Polyurethanes Industrial Marketing, Covestro, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – term 2022
• Jay Thomas, GBI Past Chair, VP of Sustainability, Vinyl Institute, Duxbury, Massachusetts – term 2021
• Ray Tonjes, Founding Chair, Ray Tonjes Builder, Austin, Texas – term 2021
• Doug Tucker, Director of Industry and Gov’t Relations, Mitsubishi Electric US, Suwanee, Georgia – term 2021