On the heels of its 10 year anniversary, The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced two appointments to its Board of Directors that will continue to move the organization toward more engagement with national energy and environmental policy issues; Kateri Callahan, President of the Alliance to Save Energy, Washington D.C., and Richard Mitchell, President and Managing Principal at Mackenzie, an integrated design firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy

"The GBI Board is fortunate to have Kateri Callahan as a new Board member, representing one of the country's leading NGOs. Kateri is one of the most respected national advocates for energy efficiency and she brings a strong background in national energy policy to GBI,” said GBI President Jerry Yudelson. Adding, “we are looking forward to her contributions in helping us to enhance the Green Globes rating systems to better address the overriding issue in building operations: energy efficiency and resulting carbon mitigation."

Kateri Callahan brings three decades of experience in policy advocacy, fundraising, coalition building and organizational management to her position on the GBI Board of Directors. The Alliance to Save Energy is a premier non-governmental organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Alliance has worked for more than three decades to advance energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment and greater energy security and enjoys the support and participation of more than 140 businesses and organizations.

Callahan has served as president of the Alliance since January 2004, and under Callahan’s leadership, the Alliance conducts policy, communications, research, education and market transformation initiatives. Callahan is the principal spokesperson for the Alliance, appearing regularly before Congress and the media. She is a trusted source for information on energy efficiency and its role in addressing the environmental, economic and national security issues associated with the use of energy.

Richard Mitchell, President, Mackenzie

“Rich Mitchell and the Mackenzie firm he leads has distinguished itself for more than 50 years as providing leading-edge energy-efficient and sustainable design for their clients. As its president and long-time leader, Rich Mitchell brings to the GBI Board the perspective of an architectural practitioner engaged every day in balancing economy and environment in creating long-lasting, highly functional projects for a widely diversified client base." Says Yudelson.

Rich Mitchell has more than 30 years’ experience as a Registered Architect and is licensed in more than a dozen states. Since 2008, Mr. Mitchell has served as Mackenzie’s President and Managing Principal.

Throughout his design career, Mitchell has recognized the importance of sustainable design practices in the built environment.  As an early adopter of sustainable rating systems, in 2001 Mitchell was the first LEED Accredited Professional at Mackenzie.  His passion to qualify individuals and projects with sustainable credentials continues with his recent designations as a Green Globes Professional) and a Guiding Principles Compliance Professional (GPCP) from the Green Building Initiative. (GGP

Mitchell commented, “At Mackenzie, we’ve looked through our client-focused lens – and the Green Globes program makes sense to us. Dozens of our clients are saying ‘we want you to track LEED but not go through LEED’. Our hope with Green Globes is that companies will be willing to certify their buildings again. I accepted the GBI board’s invitation to serve and help influence and shape Green Globes and to make sure that our clients are represented.”