Arup :'s Fiona Cousins named Chair-Elect to USGBC Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Arup, a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm with a reputation for delivering innovative and sustainable designs, announced today that Fiona Cousins, PE, CEng, LEED Fellow has been named chair-elect by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) board of directors.

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"I have spent years working with, learning about, and understanding USGBC and feel that I am now able to help lead the organization as it adapts to changes in the marketplace, scales up its activities around the world, and maintains longer-term engagement with buildings," says Cousins, a principal in Arup's New York office. "My career so far has been based on the twin pillars of resource-efficient design and an understanding that collaborative, interdisciplinary processes are the best way to achieve this."

The responsibilities of the chair are to facilitate discussion among board members, guide the board in its legal, strategic, and fiduciary duties, chair meetings and maintain appropriate communication between the CEO and the board.

"USGBC's board of directors provides invaluable direction and perspective, collectively bringing decades of experience to the table and using their individual expertise to shape the future of the organization, the community and the green building movement as a whole. Delivering on the promise of developing buildings that sustain and enhance the vitality of life is no small undertaking. Our board of directors is comprised of representatives from many different segments of the building industry and will undoubtedly make great strides in the coming year," said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. "Fiona is a natural choice for chair-elect as her skills and experience align with her passion for a better built environment and USGBC's mission to transform the building market to one where green and sustainable choices are made as a matter of course."

Fiona's volunteer leadership experience is wide and varied, including roles in the following organizations:

    --  Executive Committee of Urban Green Council, Past secretary, vice-chair
        and chair
    --  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, board of trustees and advisory
        board chair, an organization dedicated to changing the culture of the
        building industry for women
    --  Architectural League of New York, board of directors.
    --  Member of the Arup Americas board of directors, which has responsibility
        for the strategy, operations and management of a 1200-person business

She joined Chair Marge Anderson of the Energy Center, and Immediate Past-Chair George Bandy of Interface on January 1, 2015 when she began her three-year term as chair elect, chair and immediate past chair.

About Arup
Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world's most prominent projects in the built environment and across industry. Its engineers and consultants deliver innovative projects across the world. Arup opened its first US office 25 years ago, and now employs 1,000 in the Americas. The firm was founded in 1946 with an enduring set of values that fosters a distinctive culture, intellectual independence and collaborative approach. The people at Arup are driven to find a better way to deliver better solutions for their clients. (www.arup.com)

For further information please contact:

Rebecca Maloney, LEED AP, CPSM
Arup
e [e-mail]
m [phone]

Jennifer Shelby, CPSM
Rhino PR
e [e-mail]
m [phone]

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SOURCE Arup