GBI press room: Green Building Initiative Announces 2017 Board of Directors

Shaina Weinstein, Sr. Director of Engagement, 503-254-0448 x104, shaina@thegbi.org

2017 Chairman of the Board Rich Mitchell to Lead GBI in a Year of Growth, New Developments

Portland, Ore. – The Green Building Initiative (GBI) is pleased to announce the election of its 2017 Board of Directors. Outgoing GBI Chairman Jay Thomas, chief marketing officer at Mats Inc. of Stoughton,Mass., has passed the gavel to Rich Mitchell, AIA, GGA, LEED AP BD+C, managing partner at Mackenzie, a provider of professional design services headquartered in Portland, Ore.

Thomas served as chairman from 2015 to 2016, overseeing a transition in GBI leadership by hiring GBI Executive Director Vicki Worden and chairing the association during a period of rapid growth, which included updating its Mission, Principles and Market Approach and finalizing its 2017-2019 Strategic Plan.

Rich Mitchell has served on the GBI Board of Directors since 2014 and is the first architect to take on the chairman role for the association since its founding in 2004. Under Mitchell’s leadership in 2017, GBI plans to undergo a bylaws revision and announce a new definition of membership, allowing for greater participation, higher-value recognition, and more tangible membership benefits.

“I am deeply honored to take on this role and continue to support and develop GBI’s dedication to building sustainable communities,” said Mitchell. “GBI’s innovative green certification programs align with Mackenzie’s own integrated design approach because they are value-added by nature and are relevant to a wide range of project types. Mackenzie’s focus and commitment to market-responsive, high-performance design practices is shared by GBI’s approach and core principles. These commonalities are the key reasons I have chosen to actively support GBI and promote Green Globes.”

“GBI is fortunate to have had excellent volunteer leadership,” stated GBI Executive Director Vicki Worden. “We sincerely thank Jay Thomas for his tremendous contributions and look forward to leveraging Rich Mitchell’s expertise as he takes the helm as chair of GBI.”

In addition to incoming GBI Chairman Rich Mitchell, the board of directors includes new and re-elected members 

(* denotes newly elected board members):

Kathy Loftus

Global Leader, Sustainable Engineering & Energy

Whole Foods

Austin, Texas

Donald Martin, GGA*

Principal

Marston Design Studio

Ball Ground, Ga.

Amlan Mukherjee, Ph.D.*

Associate Professor – Dept. of Civil Engineering

Michigan Technological University

Houghton, Mich.

Lee Smith

Vice President – Market & Applications Strategy

Daikin North America, LLC

Houston, Texas

Jay Thomas, Immediate Past Chair

Chief Marketing Officer

Mats, Inc.

Stoughton, Mass.

Ray Tonjes, Founding Chair

Owner

Ray Tonjes Builder

Austin, Texas

“GBI’s mission is to accelerate adoption of green building best practices, and we increased the number of buildings we reach by more than 100 percent in 2016,” said Worden. “We are nimble, adaptive, and will continue to work hard to make a bigger impact in 2017 alongside our talented volunteer leaders and board members.”

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About the Green Building Initiative − The GBI is a nonprofit organization and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards Developer dedicated to accelerating the adoption of green building best practices. Founded in 2004, the organization is the sole U.S. provider of the Green Globes® and federal Guiding Principles Compliance building certification programs. 

To learn more about opportunities to become involved in the GBI, contact info@thegbi.org or visit the GBI website, www.thegbi.org.