Gretchen Sweeney

Gretchen Sweeney has worked in various roles throughout their career. Gretchen started as an Associate at Friedman Billings Ramsey & Co in 2004, specializing in Capital Markets. Gretchen then joined the U.S. EPA Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland as a Program Assistant from 2007 to 2008. In 2009, they became a Sustainability Assistant at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC).

In 2010, Sweeney became a Program Manager at the U.S. EPA Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland, where they assembled and coordinated a task force for the launch of a sustainable municipality certification program in Maryland. Gretchen then joined the U.S. Green Building Council in 2011 as the Vice President of LEED Implementation, where they played a key role in strategic shifts and successfully launched multiple new LEED rating systems and updates.

In 2017, Sweeney became the Vice President of Arc Skoru, Inc., a technology company serving the missions of the U.S. Green Building Council and Green Business Certification, Inc. Gretchen then moved to the Urban Land Institute in 2018, first as the Senior Director of Awards and Competitions and later as the Vice President of University Programs and Awards. In their current role, they lead and grows the organization's engagement with colleges and universities and oversees global awards, honors, and competitions. Sweeney also provides strategic support for regional and local awards programs and creates educational content for ULI Learning.

Gretchen Sweeney has a BA degree, cum laude, in Classical Languages and Politics from Mount Holyoke College. Gretchen also completed a Maritime Studies Semester at Williams College. In addition, they attended Duke University for an Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (ICCS) Semester. Furthermore, they hold an MA degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, which they earned from 2008 to 2010.