As Senior Vice President for Technical Core at the U.S. Green Building Council, Melissa Baker works across all building sectors to engage, define, deploy, and drive enhanced investment in high-performing real estate assets through the LEED Green Building Ratings System. With a focus on technical integrity and customer-centric strategies and solutions, Melissa brings people together through engaging a diverse group of sector market leaders to identify opportunities and challenges for large-volume leadership
stakeholders—ultimately leading to greater market uptake for LEED and its aligned products and increased customer satisfaction and engagement.

Prior to her current executive role, Melissa led efforts on USGBC’s market development team to engage with state and local governments, the federal government and its key departments and agencies (including the U.S. military) on the implementation and scaling of LEED in support of their sustainability and energy conservation and independence goals. Melissa also played a key architectural role in the development of LEED in the healthcare, hospitality, and higher education sectors.

Before joining USGBC, Melissa began her career in the highly-selective Presidential Management Fellows program with the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She holds a M.P.P. in Environmental Policy from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and a B.A. in International Environmental Policy from the University of Connecticut.

Melissa lives in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest, Washington, DC, with her husband Nate and their daughters, Cecilia and Alexandra.