Beth Heider is Senior Vice President of Green Markets for Skanska USA supporting the design and construction of high performance green/LEED projects throughout their lifecycle. Over her career, Heider has been responsible for the pre-construction management of large-scale multimillion-dollar construction programs. Her 33 years of professional experience include all phases of design and construction from master planning through project closeout as licensed architect, construction manager, cost manager and value engineering (VE) facilitator.
She has completed studies on a variety of initiatives from the “conventional” value analysis of over 100 projects to specialty studies for the Federal Government exploring the cost commitment necessary for public buildings to become “green” (1998), to enhance workplace productivity (2000), to achieve LEED certification (LEED Cost Study, 2004) and to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (2006 & 2007). In 2009, Skanska co-authored the Financial Study of the Living Building Challenge, the beyond-LEED® Platinum metric developed by the Cascadia Chapter of the USGBC. Ms. Heider founded Skanska USA’s Green Council. The Skanska Green Council marshals all of Skanska’s sustainable preconstruction and construction capabilities nationwide, encourages and supports training and technical competency, coordinating sustainable expertise and information nationwide. In addition to leading Skanska USA’s eco-efficient building initiatives, Ms. Heider remains involved at the project level, participating in projects ranging from the Energy Optimization Curriculum for the United Nations School and value management work on the United Nations Renovation, both in New York City and pre-construction support of Skanska’s largest Living Building, the Oregon Sustainability Center.
Commencing in 2008, Heider was elected to serve two three-year terms on the US Green Building Council’s Board of Directors, chairing the Ethics Panel and Financial Committee. She is 2012 Chair of USGBC’s Board serving a 3-year term on USGBC’s Executive Committee through 2013. She is on the Board of Directors of The Construction Sciences Research Foundation and has served on a number of task forces, including the USGBC Research Committee and AIA COTE to develop a national green building research agenda, served on the University of Virginia’s Alumni Task Force and was a member of SAVE International. In 2010, she was one of ten women named “pioneer in green building” by the Green Economy Post. She graduated with a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia and participated in the University of Virginia’s Architectural Graduate Program in Venice, Italy.
From 1999 to 2004, she served as an Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America School of Engineering in Washington, DC where she taught Value Engineering. Ms. Heider has authored chapters in Building Security and Building Type Basics: Justice Facilities and presented papers on cost, value, eco-efficient building, and program management at over 100 international conferences and events.