Rachel Hodgdon

Rachel joined the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in November 2016, bringing her broad sustainability expertise and her track record as a leading global advocate for green schools, movement building and social equity to IWBI’s work to advance human health through better buildings, more vibrant communities and stronger organizations. She was named president of IWBI in 2018 and CEO in November 2020. With over 2.5 billion square feet of space registered, rated or certified in 97 countries, IWBI’s evidence-based WELL offerings anchor an ecosystem of solutions that advance, measure and monitor real estate features that help people thrive.

Prior to joining IWBI, Rachel was with the U.S. Green Building Council, where she founded the Center for Green Schools, which mobilized $275B+ investments in LEED-certified educational facilities, deployed over 750,000 volunteers in 73 countries to transform schools on every continent, and published 1,000+ pages of technical guides and original research. She also established the organization’s vast knowledge network that served the needs of more than 200,000 LEED APs, helping LEED become the world’s most widely used green building rating system.

A native of the Washington D.C. area, Rachel is a graduate of Tufts University. She serves on numerous boards and advisory councils – including the board of Second Nature, Real Estate Pride Council, Urban Land Institute’s Advisory for Health and Social Equity, the Walgreens CSR Advisory Council – and cochairs Paul Hawken’s new organization for regeneration. She is a sought-after media voice, inspirational speaker and frequent guest lecturer and instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, among others.