People on the Move spotlights trailblazers in standardization, highlighting their latest achievements, advancements, and contributions to the standards community. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) organizational member, has announced the hiring of Andrew de Vries as its vice president for conservation, indigenous and government relations. In that position, Mr. de Vries will be responsible for oversight of SFI's Canadian conservation program, and will work with government officials in Canada and Europe, as well as representatives of Native American, First Nations, and Métis groups on issues related to forest conservation and resource management.
Mr. de Vries previously worked as the chief biologist for Canada's national forest industry trade group, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), where he oversaw conservation efforts, outreach to government representatives, and engagement work with groups representing indigenous peoples. Notably, he was involved in the signing of a 2008 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FPAC and Canada's Assembly of First Nations. Mr. de Vries received both a bachelor of science degree and a master's degree in anthropology and animal behavior from Canada's University of Calgary.
SFI is a nonprofit organization overseeing international programs on sustainable forestry and the responsible sourcing of wood products. Across North America, more than 200 million acres are certified to the SFI forest management standard.
ANSI member and accredited standards developer the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has named Dan Winters to the position of senior research fellow for business strategy and finance. In this new position, Mr. Winters will be responsible for overseeing USGBC's efforts to enhance the links between green building groups and the investment community.
Before coming to work at USGBC, Mr. Winters served as the founder and managing principal at real estate advisory firm Evolution Partners, and was the recipient of the USGBC's 2012 Mark Ginsberg Sustainability Fellowship. He previously held the position of vice chair at the Capital Markets Partnership, where he served as the primary author of its Green Building Financial Underwriting Standard, worked as a partner and equity investor at LoraxPRO, LLC, and as a senior analyst for debt placement at CBRE Group. Mr. Winters obtained his bachelors of science degree in consumer behavior, real estate finance and urban economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, received his MBA in real estate finance from Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, and his master's degree in real estate finance and development from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.
The USGBC is a nonprofit group engaged in furthering sustainability and economic prosperity through the advancement of energy-efficient, cost-effective green buildings. The USGBC, widely known for its LEED green building program, carries out related advocacy efforts, provides educational offerings, and hosts the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo on behalf of its tens of thousands of member organizations, local chapters, students and volunteers.
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