Green Building Initiative Welcomes New President Jerry Yudelson

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced today that it has named Jerry Yudelson as its president to accelerate growth of the non-profit and further leverage its green building assessment tools, including the highly recognized Green Globes^® rating system, as it brings green building options to a larger audience of owners, designers, facility managers and investors.

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Yudelson is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading green building and sustainability advocates and an internationally recognized keynote speaker. Formerly the President of Yudelson Associates in Tucson, AZ, he has authored 13 green building books, achieved recognition as a LEED^® Fellow, and chaired the steering committee for Greenbuild^®, the country's largest annual green building show, which he helped grow during its first eight years. As the GBI's president, Yudelson will oversee the growth of the non-profit, including the ongoing development, expansion and marketing of the Green Globes^® green building rating system. His role will also include expanding understanding and use of GBI's additional assessment tools, such as the GBI's Guiding Principles Compliance tool, designed specifically to support compliance by federal agencies with President Obama's green government requirements.

Ray Tonjes, Chairman of the GBI board and president of Ray Tonjes Builder in Austin, Texas, said, "We're delighted to have someone of Jerry's caliber in the green building industry step up to lead the GBI. With the recent update of Green Globes and recognition by the General Services Administration, as well as growing use by federal agencies and the Fortune 500 sector, the timing couldn't be better. We are confident that the combination of Jerry's leadership with GBI's practical and credible assessment tools will be powerful catalysts for the growth of green building nationwide."

"After many years promoting the advancement of green building and market transformation in the building industry, I'm pleased to be asked to lead the GBI at this key time in its development," said Yudelson. "There is a huge audience of building owners, designers, and facility managers who are looking for more cost-effective and practical options to applying green building principles to every building. The GBI has a unique approach with its interactive, web-based Green Globes platform and on-site, independent third-party assessment. I'm excited by the opportunity to build on the GBI's successes and help bring more focused green building and facility management options to new audiences."

"The GBI provides tools that are simple to understand, easy to use and cost effective," stated Yudelson. "This is a key differentiator for the GBI, and I look forward to encouraging the building community to actively participate in the ongoing development of the organization and its variety of market-driven programs."

Jerry Yudelson is a professional engineer and an engineering graduate of Caltech and Harvard University; he also holds an MBA from the University of Oregon. He is also a National Peer Professional with the U.S. General Services Administration. From 2007-2009 he served as the Research Scholar for Retail Real Estate Sustainability with the International Council of Shopping Centers, a 70,000-member global organization. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural class of LEED Fellows by the U.S. Green Building Council.

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 practices. Founded in 2004, the organization is the sole U.S. provider of the Green Globes^® and Guiding Principles Compliance building certification programs. To learn more about opportunities to become involved in the GBI, contact Jerry Yudelson.

About Green Globes^® - Green Globes is a web-based program for green building guidance and certification that includes on-site reviews by an independent third party assessor. The program is administered in the United States by the GBI. Green Globes is a user-friendly assessment tool that is designed to advance the overall environmental performance and sustainability of commercial, government and institutional buildings. The program certifies new construction and existing buildings. An additional assessment tool is the GBI's Guiding Principles Compliance program for federal agencies. Also available are education and professional credentialing through the Green Globes Professional^™, Green Globes Assessor^™, and Guiding Principles Compliance Professional^™ accreditation programs.

Media Contacts: Jerry Yudelson, 520-243-0996, Email; Norma Dulin, 503-313-2216

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SOURCE Green Building Initiative