U.S. Green Building Council Announces Leadership Award Recipients

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the recipients of its 2022 USGBC Leadership Awards. The annual awards recognize leadership and commitment to the green building industry and spotlights exemplary work that has been influential in the expansion of sustainable, higher-performing buildings.

USGBC has selected six individuals and organizations that have demonstrated vision, leadership and commitment to the evolution of our green building industry.

“USGBC’s mission relies on the commitment of its members and the broader green building community,” said USGBC interim president and CEO Peter Templeton. “The USGBC Leadership Awards are an opportunity to spotlight those who have gone above and beyond and are paving the way for the next chapter in green building. Through their incredible work and dedication, this year’s award recipients show us how we can create more sustainable buildings and communities with every LEED project.”

This year’s awardees will be honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, June 9 during the USGBC Live conference in Washington, D.C. USGBC Live is a new event series that combines the expertise of the largest community of green building leaders with the data, insights, stories and leadership from the thousands of LEED and green building projects around the globe to produce insightful and engaging conversations about the future of buildings, cities and communities.

This year Leadership Award recipients:

Marriott International is being recognized as a global hospitality industry powerhouse in environmental stewardship and has set the bar for treating both people and the planet with regenerative respect and care. With over 300 registered and certified hotels and resorts in more than 65 countries and territories around the world, Marriott International is the largest LEED user within the global hospitality sector.

Prologis, the global leader in logistics real estate, has a strong track record of environmental stewardship, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The company has a long history of designing and developing LEED buildings all over the world and was the first to launch the LEED v4 for Core and Shell Volume Program for the U.S. logistics real estate sector. It was also the first logistics real estate company to have an approved science-based target (SBT) and is enabling the net-zero journey for its customers by integrating supply chain decarbonization solutions and developing buildings with sustainable features.


LEED Fellow and executive director for the Institute for the Built Environment, Brian Dunbar is dedicated to teaching, mentoring, and living the values of sustainability, creating a legacy of passion for LEED and for the environment and sustainability. Brian created a graduate program in Sustainable Building at Colorado State University and has taught thousands of aspiring sustainable designers and builders at CSU, across the nation as USGBC faculty, as well as in Costa Rica, Brazil, Canada, and Australia. Brian’s campus-based institute has served as a thought-leadership pipeline to ensure that the values of “People, Place, and Potential” remain at the forefront of our global movement.

Recipient of the Mayor Richard M. Daley Legacy Award for Global Leadership


Washington, D.C. became the first certified LEED Platinum City in the world in 2017, has implemented a LEED building policy mandate for public and private new construction. The nation’s capital also adopted the 2020 District of Columbia energy conservation code which embraced pathways to net-zero buildings for both commercial and residential construction, adopted the Sustainable DC Plan, committing the District of Columbia to sending zero waste to landfills and reducing waste generated by 15% by 2032.

Recipient of the Kate Hurst USGBC Leadership Award


Through her leadership role at the World Green Building Council, Cristina Gamboa oversees a global action network of 70 green building councils and their 36,000+ members. The award recognizes her work leading to COP 26 in Glasgow and daily leadership of a globally-focused sustainability organization, serving as a catalyst for international action.

Malcolm Lewis IMPACT! Award Recipient


The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon program is a transformational industry program that has inspired future generations of sustainability professionals to explore the power and potential of clean energy through building design and performance and to inspire ingenuity and teamwork beyond the walls of the classroom.

The USGBC Leadership Award recipients will be honored next week at a special luncheon as part of the USGBC Live conference, which is being held in Washington, DC on June 9-10 at the Ronald Reagan Building. Registration for the event here.