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Green Building Initiative Elects Tim Thiel as Chair of the Board of Directors

Membership elects Thiel and new Directors to GBI’s Board.

Portland, Ore. –The Green Building Initiative, Inc. (GBI) is pleased to announce the election of Tim Thiel, Global Circular Economy Manager at Covestro, as chair of its board of directors. New and returning officers, as well as two new directors, were also elected effective December 2023.

Tim Thiel

“It is an incredible honor to step into the role of board chair in GBI’s twentieth year,” said Thiel. “GBI has become a global leader in sustainable building certification and education, and I look forward supporting accessibility and widespread use of GBI’s building assessment programs to achieve global climate goals.”

“We are thrilled to continue working with Tim in his leadership role as GBI’s chair of its board of directors,” said Vicki Worden, GBI President & CEO. “Tim has been a tremendous asset to GBI’s board, supporting market development, building relationships with likeminded organizations, and providing industry expertise in sustainability and the circular economy.”

Tim has been a longstanding supporter of green building, also serving on the Board of the 2030 Districts National Network. As he enters his eighth year on the GBI board, he is recognized as a 25-year veteran of Covestro where Tim is implementing the company’s strategy towards a circular and climate-neutral economy. Previous roles have provided Tim with extensive experience in both strategic marketing and business development in various verticals, including the building and construction industries.

Thiel follows GBI’s prior chair, Dr. Amlan Mukherjee, P.E., who was active in promoting procurement solutions for low-embodied carbon solutions at the federal level and contributed significant expertise into the development of GBI’s Green Globes Journey to Net Zero assessment program. Dr. Mukherjee will serve as Immediate Past Chair for the 2024 calendar year.

GBI’s Membership voted on November 30, 2023, to approve the 2024 Executive Committee Slate under one-year terms:

GBI is also pleased to announce the approval of two new voting members of the board of directors, effective December 2023, under three-year terms:

  • Keely Felton (Chief Sustainability Officer, Nova Group, GBC)
  • Laura Unrein (Sustainable Design Consultant, Group14 Engineering)

The new directors join eight returning voting members of the board that include:

  • Consolato Gattuso (Director of Engineering at Piedmont Office Realty Trust)
  • Dain Hansen (EVP, Government Relations, International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials, (IAPMO))
  • Randy Mortensen (SVP, Global Sales & Marketing, Leviton)
  • Brenda Steinhauer (Quality Manager, W.A. Richardson Builders)
  • Sumayyah Theron (Director of Sustainability, Cyclone Energy Group)
  • Douglas Tucker (Director, Industry and Government Relations, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.)
  • Robin Yochum (Director of State Outreach, Building Performance Association)