After almost 20 years and over 40,000 homes certified, Viridiant is thrilled to announce that Andrew Green has joined our non-profit organization as the new Executive Director. Andrew’s first day with Viridiant was June 3rd, and he has already begun diving headfirst into Viridiant’s culture and mission.
Andrew Green is an experienced sustainability executive with a background in corporate sustainability leadership, consulting, and the built environment. His sustainability leadership journey began during a 17-year career with Capital One where he led the Environmental Sustainability program between 2015 and 2022. Prior to leading the sustainability program, Andrew held roles in real estate strategy and analytics, bank mergers and integration, customer management and marketing. In 2022, he founded Crooked Tree Consulting, an independent sustainability advisory firm working with companies across the spectrum of size and industry. His clients have ranged in size from Fortune 100 to startups and include companies in the financial services, consumer packaged goods, transportation and distribution, and climate tech sectors.
Andrew is a graduate of Appalachian State University and lives in Richmond, VA with his wife Cathy, two energetic boys Aaron and Evan, and even more energetic shepsky, Luna. He is a suburban farmer, beekeeper, and enjoys distance running, mountain biking, and being outdoors as much as possible.
“As Viridiant enters this new chapter, the Board of Directors feels strongly that Andrew is extraordinarily well-suited to build upon Viridiant’s legacy of advocacy and support for efficient building practices in the Commonwealth,” remarks Viridiant Board President, Nathan Blinn. “The board is continuously impressed by Andrew’s insightfulness and the collaborative vigor with which he is already approaching this new endeavor, and we are excited for him to lead such an incredible team of dedicated individuals.”
Read on to learn more about Andrew and his vision for advancing Viridiant.
What are you looking forward to as you join the Viridiant team?
I am looking forward to working with this incredibly talented, mission-driven team to make meaningful, measurable impacts on the sustainability and resilience of the places where people live and work. I am excited to collaborate with community partners, expand Viridiant’s influence, and scale the organization to meet the sustainability and resilience opportunities impacting the built environment in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
What is your mission and vision for the future of the company?
To ensure Viridiant is the essential sustainability and resiliency partner for stakeholders across the built environment value chain. From developers and builders, designers and architects, to realtors, homeowners, renters, and policymakers, I want Viridiant to be the definitive go-to sustainability resource in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic market.
How would you describe your leadership style?
My leadership style is a combination of visionary, analytical, and situational. I believe we need to understand where the world is going and what that means for where the organization should head. Viridiant has incredible, highly talented folks and I expect the teams to figure out how we get from where we are now to where we need to go. To that end, an analytical data-driven mindset is critical to understanding where the world is going, the business opportunities and how we are performing as an organization. I am excited to see what data we have available and what it is telling us. I like to understand why things are being done a certain way and continuously seek better ways to approach our work. I am not afraid to try new things, knowing some will fail but learning from the failures. Data, combined with agile situational leadership, enable us to adapt, solve problems, and capitalize on opportunities.
Tell us three fun facts.
– At 19 years old, I drove across country solo to spend 6 months hiking and climbing across the Rockies and Pacific Northwest.
– I have run three marathons (and several half-marathons)
– I don’t like to eat eggs but we have 5 laying hens and an accidental rooster (which would be an awesome band name)
We look forward to all the opportunities that Andrew can bring to Viridiant and are excited to share the work he will do for our non-profit!