As the director for education development at USGBC, I get the pleasure of working with our vast array of LEED professionals.

I work with our community of LEED professionals to create education. Our network of architects, engineers and sustainability consultants are my sources for content. They are the subject matter experts (SMEs) who work with me to share their knowledge with others. Using their experience as green building practitioners, they identify what needs to be taught and how to teach it.

I am in awe of professionals who are practicing green building and educating others. It takes a special skill to teach others. You can be a brilliant designer or contractor and know your stuff, but an educator can also think about it from the perspective of someone still learning; someone who doesn’t have the same body of knowledge and experiences. The practitioners I work with as education SMEs are able to bring green building concepts to life. They can talk about decarbonization or electrification as strategies and actions to take on a project. They can use stories and examples to show others how we can create green buildings and achieve our goals.

Many times, the LEED professionals with whom I work are part of our Education Partner and USGBC Faculty network. These programs recognize our members and individuals who are providing education in person and online. In this issue, you'll learn more about how these members, as well as our LEED Fellows, share their knowledge with others and partner with community organizations to advance sustainability goals.

Those who are teaching at the college level are helping us to create a pipeline of future green building professionals. Each year I look forward to our cohort of summer interns at USGBC. I get to help teach them about green building and LEED. I enjoy watching these amazing, passionate young adults learn how their interest in sustainability and the environment can be applied to a green building career. USGBC also expands its network of green building advocates through the interns—they are, after all, our future community of LEED professionals.

A community of professionals is important because when you connect with your peers, you learn and share, you feel supported. As an educator, I seek out professional development and networking opportunities through my community of other training and learning experts. Through my work, I get to help LEED professionals find their community. At USGBC, they know they can connect with others on the same professional journey by sharing knowledge and skills.

LEED On: Working with our member experts