Portland, Ore., Jan. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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, and Principal of the Greenwood Consulting Group; Tehmina Husain, GGP, GPCP, and Sr. Sustainability Consultant of Merrick and Company; and Andrea Rutledge, CAE, and CEO of the Construction Management Assn. 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 over 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.

Vicki Worden, President & CEO of GBI notes, “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. 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 Dr. Kibert and the board are positioned to make an immediate impact. Sara Greenwood joins GBI’s leadership having completed more than seventy Green Globes projects and brings an unrivaled understanding of the green building landscape. Tehmina 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 & President of Construction Management Association of America, Andrea 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, Chair 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, OR. 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.

Biographies of GBI’s complete Board of Directors (below), its bylaws, and other mission information can be found on its website at http://www.thegbi.org/aboutgbi.

2021 GBI Board of Directors

Tim Atkinson, GBI Immediate Past Chair, Vice President of Sales, Stimson Lumber, Portland, OR – term 2021

Stephen Del Percio, VP and Assistant General Counsel, AECOM, New York, NY – term 2021

Ralph Egües, Jr., Managing Partner & Consultant, Cruz Fox LLC, Miami, FL – term 2021

Sara Greenwood, GGP, Principal, The Greenwood Consulting Group, LLC, Kansas City, MO – term 2023

Tehmina Husain, GGP, GPCP, Sustainability Consultant, Merrick & Company, Decatur, GA – term 2023

Charles Kibert, Ph.D., PE, GGA, GBI Chair, Holland Professor, Powell Center for Construction & Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL – term 2023

Sydney Lindquist, Global Sustainability Leader, Hexion, Columbus, OH – term 2021

Kerry Little, Corporate Sustainability Manager, Arauco North America, St. Stephen, NB – term 2021

John Lister, Principal, JL Architects, West Chester, PA – term 2021

Kathy Loftus, Vice President, Business Development, e2s LLC, Windham, NH – term 2022

Donald Martin, Principal, Marston Design Studio, Ball Ground, GA – term 2021

Rich Mitchell, GBI Past Chair, Managing Principal, Mackenzie, Portland, OR – term 2021

Amlan Mukherjee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Michigan Technical University, Houghton, MI – term 2022

Jenna Rowe, Independent Consultant, Indianapolis, IN – term 2021

Andrea Rutledge, CAE, President & CEO, Construction Management Assn. of America, Vienna, VA – term 2023

Richard Schroeder, President & CEO, Cresline Pipe & Fitting Co., Evansville, IN – term 2022

Brenda Steinhauer, GGP, Quality Manager, W.A. Richardson Builders, Las Vegas, NV – term 2023

Tim Thiel, Polyurethanes Industrial Marketing, Covestro, Pittsburgh, PA – term 2022

Jay Thomas, GBI Past Chair, VP of Sustainability, Vinyl Institute, Duxbury, MA – term 2021

Ray Tonjes, Founding Chair, Ray Tonjes Builder, Austin, TX – term 2021

Doug Tucker, Director of Industry and Gov’t Relations, Mitsubishi Electric US, Suwanee, GA – term 2021

About GBI

GBI is a nonprofit organization and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Developer dedicated to reducing climate impacts and improving building performance. Founded in 2004, the organization is the global provider of the Green Globes® and federal Guiding Principles Compliance building certification and assessment programs. To learn more about opportunities to become involved with GBI, contact info@thegbi.org or visit the GBI website at www.thegbi.org.

About Dr. Charles Kibert
Dr. Charles Kibert is a professor in the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management at the University of Florida, Directory of the Powell Center for Construction and Environment, and a past Director of the Rinker School. He was responsible for the design and construction of Rinker Hall, the first green building of almost 80 on the University of Florida campus. He is a co-founder and chairman of the Cross Creek Initiative, a non-profit industry/university joint venture seeking to implement sustainability principles into construction. He coordinates the Major in Sustainable Construction in the Rinker School’s Master’s degree program.

Dr. Kibert is a pioneer in the green community having published over 120 papers and books and edited several publications on construction, the environment, and related issues. He developed a widely used green building continuing education program for Florida contractors and subcontractors called “Build Green and Profit” and organized the first International Conference on Sustainable Construction in November 1994 along with several other green building conferences, including the iiSBE Net Zero Built Environment Symposium in 2014.

He is author of the first edition of the highly successful publication Greening Federal Facilities. He also wrote Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery, 3^rd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2012) and Working Toward Sustainability: Ethical Decision Making in a Technological World (John Wiley & Sons 2011). He was the editor of Reshaping the Built Environment (Island Press, 1999) and lead editor of Construction Ecology (Spon Press, 2002).

Dr. Kibert has lectured on sustainable construction in the U.K., Germany, Lithuania, Finland, Italy, Canada, Poland, Korea, Singapore, China, and the U.S. He is a registered professional engineer in Florida and a Green Globes Assessor. Dr. Kibert has served on the GBI Board of Directors since 2008.

About Sara Greenwood
Sara Greenwood is a sustainability consultant with over sixteen years’ experience in emerging green building practices and technologies. Her independent consulting firm, The Greenwood Consulting Group, LLC, is recognized as a Women’s Owned Business and is a leader in the high-performance building community. Her resume includes guiding project teams with more than 15-million square feet through green building certifications, including over seventy Green Globes certifications. Greenwood serves on the LEED Advisory Committee, is WELL Faculty and a Green Globes Professional (GGP), and has demonstrated experience with a variety of green building certifications. She is passionate about improving the health and lifestyle of building occupants and supporting developers to achieve their performance goals.

About Tehmina Husain
Tehmina Husain has over eighteen years’ experience in the Building Design and Construction Industry. As a Sustainability Consultant with Merrick & Company, Tehmina is a seasoned Green Globes Professional (GGP) and Guiding Principles Compliance Professional (GPCP) and provides an array of knowledge of green building certifications and the federal market. With a background in Architecture and a passion for a sustainable future, her focus shifted from the design side to guiding the design teams on sustainability during the design and construction phases of development.

About Andrea Rutledge
Andrea Rutledge brings thirty years’ experience in association management, government, and higher education, with a significant record of achievement as a collaborative leader, strategic thinker, and passionate advocate. Rutledge is the current President and CEO of the Construction Management Association of America and has previously held positions at the National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc., American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Institute for Educational Leadership. Rutledge was awarded honorary membership in the American Institute of Architects (Hon. AIA) in 2014. As a Certified Association Executive with a diverse background, Rutledge brings valuable non-profit management and leadership experience to GBI’s Board.

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• New GBI Board Members Press Release - 1.6.21

Megan Baker
Green Building Initiative 
(971) 256-7174
megan@thegbi.org