The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin L. Powell will give the keynote address at USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo being held Nov. 17 to 19 in Chicago.
“General Powell has made another career of sharing his lessons of leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. “His keen insights and global perspective are especially relevant to our movement in these times of great challenge and change. He exemplifies that leadership is about more than a title: It’s about taking charge during times of great crisis.”
Powell is a retired four-star general. He previously served as National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Powell as Secretary of State, a position he held until 2005. In addition, for the past decade, Powell has committed his time, energy and leadership to improving the lives of America’s young people as a founder of Chairman of America’s Promise Alliance, an organization that works with over 400 partner organizations to provide needed resources that build better lives for America’s youth.
Powell has demonstrated his exemplary leadership through his public service and private life. He has broken racial barriers as the first African-American Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has received several distinguished military and civilian honors, including two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and the Soldier’s Medal. He also founded the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at his alma mater, the City College of New York, and has served on the boards of various non-profit groups.
As a sign of Powell’s wide-ranging leadership and the powerful message he will bring as Greenbuild’s opening keynote speaker, a LEED Platinum affordable housing building in his childhood neighborhood bears his name. The General Colin L. Powell Apartments in the South Bronx, N.Y., is a cutting-edge 50-unit multifamily project resulting from a partnership between Habitat for Humanity-New York City and Blue Sea Development. Powell participated in the LEED certification ceremony.
Source: U.S. Green Building Council
