Green Business Certification Inc. announces 2016 LEED Fellows

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) today announced its 2016 class of LEED Fellows, an annual recognition of outstanding LEED professionals. This year’s 24 LEED Fellows exemplify a diverse array of achievements and contributions to the green building community.

2016 LEED Fellows:

Jim Chidester, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Batson Inc.

Lance Davis, Sustainability Architect, U.S. General Services Administration

Aalok A. Deshmukh, General Manager and Head—Energy Efficiency, Schneider Electric India

Rebecca Dunn Bryant, Principal, Watershed

Steven Guttmann, Principal, Guttmann & Blaevoet

Anne Hicks Harney, Sustainability Director, Ayers Saint Gross

Elizabeth Heider, Chief Sustainability Officer, Skanska USA Inc.

Susan Heinking, Director of High Performance, Pepper Construction Company

Julie Hendricks, Vice President and Director of EcoServices, Kirksey Architecture

R. Kirk Johnson, Director of Sustainable Design, Corgan

Michael Kawecki, Certification Reviewer, GBCI

Juzer S. Kothari, Managing Director, Conserve Consultants Private Limited

Brian Lomel, Principal, TLC Engineering for Architecture

Jorge Lopez de Obeso, Chairman of the Board, EA Energía y Arquitectura

Josée Lupien, President, Vertima—Green Building and Materials Experts

Tom Marseille, Senior Vice President and Director of Sustainability, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff

John Mlade, Senior Sustainability Manager, YR&G

Diana Paez, Green Building & Sustainable Materials Specialist, THREE Consultoria Medioambiental

Dana Robbins Schneider, Managing Director, JLL

David Rodriguez, Firm Principal, BCE

Megan Ritchie Saffitz, Director of LEED Support, GBCI

Susie Spivey-Tilson, Senior Program Manager, CBRE

Wes Sullens, Green Building Program Manager, StopWaste

Shigeru Urashima, Regional Senior Staff Architect, Intel

The LEED Fellow program was established in 2011 to honor LEED professionals who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in key mastery elements of LEED certification and significant contributions in teaching, mentoring or research with other industry professionals. LEED Fellows also have a strong history of highly impactful commitment, service, and advocacy for green building and sustainability.

LEED Fellows are nominated by their peers and must have at least 10 years experience in the green building industry and hold a LEED AP with specialty credential, among other requirements. The evaluation process includes extensive portfolio review and is carried out by the LEED Fellow Evaluation Committee and supported by GBCI.

The recipients will be honored at the 2016 USGBC Leadership Awards Luncheon at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. The nomination period for the 2017 LEED Fellows class will open in January 2017. For more information about the LEED Fellow program, visit usgbc.org/leed/credentials/leed-fellow.

A guide focusing on the critical role of grid interactivity in building decarbonization was recently published by ASHRAE. The Grid-Interactive Buildings for Decarbonization: Design and Operation Resource Guide provides information on maximizing carbon reduction through buildings’ interaction with the electric power grid.

75 Top Building Products | Dec 13, 2023

75 top building products for 2023

From a bladeless rooftop wind energy system, to a troffer light fixture with built-in continuous visible light disinfection, innovation is plentiful in Building Design+Construction's annual 75 Top Products report.

Codes and Standards | Dec 11, 2023

Washington state tries new approach to phase out fossil fuels in new construction

After pausing a heat pump mandate earlier this year after a federal court overturned Berkeley, Calif.’s ban on gas appliances in new buildings, Washington state enacted a new code provision that seems poised to achieve the same goal.

Green | Dec 11, 2023

U.S. has tools to meet commercial building sector decarbonization goals early

The U.S. has the tools to reduce commercial building-related emissions to reach target goals in 2029, earlier than what it committed to when it signed the Paris Agreement, according to a report by the U.S. Green Building Council.

AA new report offers guidance for buying and using greener building materials.

Industry Research | Dec 9, 2023

Two new reports provide guidance for choosing healthier building products

The authors, Perkins&Will and the Healthy Building Network, home in on drywall, flooring, and insulation.The authors, Perkins&Will and the Healthy Building Network, home in on drywall, flooring, and insulation.

Yale University breaks ground on the nation's largest Living Building student housing complex

University Buildings | Dec 8, 2023

Yale University breaks ground on nation's largest Living Building student housing complex

A groundbreaking on Oct. 11 kicked off a project aiming to construct the largest Living Building Challenge-certified residence on a university campus. The Living Village, a 45,000 sf home for Yale University Divinity School graduate students, “will make an ecological statement about the need to build in harmony with the natural world while training students to become ‘apostles of the environment’,” according to Bruner/Cott, which is leading the design team that includes Höweler + Yoon Architecture and Andropogon Associates.