Rick Fedrizzi, founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993, was appointed President & CEO in April 2004. Under his leadership, the Council has undertaken a far-reaching agenda that has tripled its membership, broadened its influence, and cemented its role as a leadership voice in the global sustainability movement.

A cornerstone of that agenda has been the evolution of the internationally recognized LEED Green Building Rating System to its next level. Known as LEED v3, this effort builds on the familiar infrastructure of LEED but introduces a comprehensive realignment and technical upgrade of  all the existing rating systems; a reweighting of credits to drive achievement against the most pressing issues – C02 reduction and improved indoor environmental quality; the introduction of  bioregional credits and life cycle assessment into LEED; significant expansion of LEED online and improvements to the user experience; and the move to a global-class certification process, all to enhance speed, capacity and performance of the rating system as a catalyst for market transformation. 

Even while LEED is evolving from a technical standpoint, USGBC has incorporated aspects that address the unique needs of schools, hospitals, the retail sector and large property owners who want to implement and manage LEED across a broad portfolio of buildings and building types.  Special emphasis is being placed on LEED for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance, in recognition of the huge need to bring existing buildings up to higher levels of ongoing performance, and LEED for Neighborhood Development, a pilot effort to move LEED’s benefits beyond the building footprint into the neighborhood it occupies.  LEED for Homes launched in 2007, bringing the benefits of third-party certified green building to the residential sector.

Rick’s passion for collaboration as a driver for rapid change is evidenced in USGBC’s work with the Clinton Global Initiative, the International Codes Council, AIA, ASHRAE, ASID, ASLA, BOMA and IFMA, among others, on numerous programs designed to accelerate the green building movement. This collaboration is evident internationally as well.  Working closely with the Vice Minister of Construction in China, Rick has assisted that country’s green building efforts, building on his work in helping establish the World Green Building Council in 1999, serving as its chairman until 2004, and now as an active member of its Board of Directors. He also serves on the board of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Sustainable Buildings and Construction Initiative. Prior to his appointment, Rick was the founder and president of Green-Think, an environmentally focused marketing and communications consulting firm. Rick founded Green-Think after a distinguished 25-year career at United Technologies Corporation (UTC), where he served as an inhouse environmental marketing consultant. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Indoor Environmental Quality (NYIEQ) Center and The Environmental Project™,  as an Advisory Council member for Planet Green, Discovery Channel’s environmental network, and is an active alumnus of Syracuse University, where he received both his BA and MBA degrees. He recently received the 2008 Environmental Stewardship Award from the Queens Botanical Garden and the Home Depot Foundation’s 2008 Visionary Award.