The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the newly elected officers and new directors to its 2012 Board of Directors. At elections that closed in November, USGBC's membership elected the following individuals to serve as directors: Fiona Cousins, Arup, filling the Designer of Buildings seat; Marge Anderson, Energy Center of Wisconsin, filling the Environmental Nonprofit Advocate seat; George Bandy Jr., Interface, filling the Large-Scale Manufacturer seat; and John Dalzell, City of Boston/Boston Redevelopment Authority, filling the Urban/Regional Planner seat.

In addition, the Board named the following directors to fill appointed seats: Joseph Sanches, School District of Palm Beach County, filling the Educator (K-12) seat; Stephen G. Bushnell, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, filling the Insurance seat; Gary Jay Saulson, The PNC Financial Services Group, filling the Finance seat.

The Board elected Allan Skodowski, Transwestern as chair-elect and Lisa Shpritz, Bank of America, as Treasurer. Other 2012 officers continuing in their terms are Chair Elizabeth J. Heider, Skanska, and Punit Jain, Cannon Design, as secretary. Mark MacCracken, CALMAC Manufacturing Corppration, will serve as immediate past chair. Terms will begin on January 1, 2012.

"The Board is pleased to welcome Fiona, Marge and George as new members and to welcome John back to a second term," said Chair Heider. "You are an extraordinary group elected from an extraordinary slate of candidates, and 2012 promises to be a great year for USGBC made better by your service."

"Our Board plays an indispensible role within USGBC by making key decisions about how the organization serves our membership, educates the industry, and advances our mission," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. "This engaged and dedicated group of industry leaders reflects the diversity of the rapidly growing market that we serve, and is committed to shaping the future of green building."

"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve USGBC. The Board and the organization have made a remarkable impact on the sustainability of existing commercial buildings and we are poised for further success in 2012," said Chair-elect Skodowski. "By guiding buildings down the path to certification and ongoing greener operations while enhancing the customer experience, the USGBC helps building owners improve tenant satisfaction and do what's ultimately right for our environment, all while positively impacting the building owners' bottom line."

"USGBC has undergone tremendous organizational growth since I joined the Board in 2006," said Board Treasurer Shpritz. "I am very proud of how far we've come and even prouder to have the opportunity to continue my service as treasurer as we work to fulfill USGBC's mission to make green buildings available to all within a generation."

Additionally, Howard Frumkin, from the University of Washington School of Public Health, has been appointed by the Board to serve as its advisor on public health.

USGBC's Board includes elected and appointed directors who serve terms of three years and two years, respectively.