EXECUTIVE STAFF
Peter Templeton - President
Peter Templeton was appointed President of GBCI in January 2009. He served previously as the Senior Vice President of Education & Research for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), where he directed the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, LEED training and professional certification programs, and green building research initiatives.
As one of its first employees, Peter joined USGBC immediately following the launch of the LEED Rating System and served as Director of LEED & International Programs until July 2005. During his tenure with the LEED program, USGBC certified the first LEED projects, developed new standards for building operations and commercial interiors, and introduced the LEED AP credential, which has been earned by over 100,000 green building practitioners.
His leadership also contributed to the explosive growth and influence of USGBC’s education and research programs. Under his direction, more than 100,000 professionals attended LEED training workshops and the annual Greenbuild conference grew to nearly 30,000 attendees, ranking among the 50 fastest growing tradeshows in the nation each year. He also supervised development of the first national green building research agenda and administration of $2 million in grants awarded to green building research projects in 2008.
Prior to joining USGBC, Peter worked for 10 years as a program manager and environmental planner on sustainable development projects sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia School of Architecture and a bachelor of arts degree from Vanderbilt University.
Beth Holst - Vice President, Credentialing
Beth Holst, Vice President of Credentialing with the Green Building Certification Institute since 2008, is an experienced credentialing professional who has worked for more than 15 years with national programs that enhance workforce capacity and competency. During her tenure at GBCI, she has quadrupled participation in the LEED Professional Credentials so that today almost 170,000 credential holders are actively engaged in transforming the built environment to one that is more resource efficient and more sustainable. Under her leadership, GBCI has broadened the reach of the LEED program through the development of six new exams, a formal credential maintenance program, and the LEED Fellow title, implementing technology, customer service, and staffing infrastructure to support the growth. By pushing the adoption of policies and best practices, she helped secure ANSI accreditation for the LEED Professional credentials to reinforce their standing within the global market.
Beth came to USGBC after working in key executive management positions in dynamic, high visibility, resource-constrained environments that included NGOs, professional associations, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), government agencies, hospitals, workforce investment boards, and the private sector.
Before launching her consulting firm, Holst and Associates, LLC, Beth focused her efforts on creating scalable strategies and business plans that increase capacity and effectiveness of organizations. Her expertise includes identifying opportunities to improve the efficiency and quality of programs, expanding the reach of organizational offerings, and addressing immediate and potential challenges through risk assessment modeling. Through community and work projects, Beth has led teams of employees, volunteers and contractors to keep projects moving despite complex analysis and strict government regulations.
Beth serves on the ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel (HSSP), the ANSI Conformity Assessment Policy Committee (CAPC), the ANSI Certificate Accreditation Program's (ANSI-CAP) Accreditation Committee, and is a member of the Project Management Institute. She is a graduate of American University with a BA in Political Science, has a paralegal certificate in Business and Environmental Law from University of San Diego and a Master Certificate in Applied Project Management from Villanova University. She lives in Springfield, Virginia, with her husband, a retired Navy captain.