Ben Stapleton is a recognized sustainability leader with a focus on building teams and designing programs to deliver impactful results. As Executive Director for the U.S. Green Building Council California, his work is focused on coordinating an ecosystem leveraging the built environment as the entry point and connective fabric to help make California a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable place for all.
Ben's leadership in unifying green building communities across California, particularly during his tenure at the former USGBC-LA, has strengthened the foundation of this leading, membership-based sustainability organization. His development and delivery of a portfolio of community engagement and education focused programming have centered on climate justice, high-performance buildings, occupant health, corporate sustainability, and regional resilience, fostering a sense of connection and shared purpose.
Previously, he launched and then managed the internationally recognized regional epicenter for sustainability in Downtown LA, the La Kretz Innovation Campus, while leading operations, finance, and major program initiatives for the LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI). He has been named a lifetime Senior Fellow for USC’s Marshall Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab (BSEL), which honors exceptional leaders for their commitment to the fields of social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, nonprofit management, and sustainability.
Ben is a frequent speaker and moderator at a wide range of conferences, roundtables, and events, as well as a recognized sustainability expert for media. He serves on a number of boards where his talents and insight have proven invaluable in managing, negotiating, and executing on complex real estate projects while delivering technology startups and community engagement programs that exceed expectations.
He is also a recipient of JLL's distinctive Da Vinci Award for Innovation, the Net Zero Conference’s Trailblazer Award for Industry Leadership, the Los Angeles Business Council's Community Impact Award, Stratiscope's Impact Maker to Watch Award, and CoStar’s Power Broker designation in the Los Angeles market. Stapleton holds a MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business as well as a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from UCLA. Ben is a LEED AP O+M, ENV SP, and WELL AP certified green building nerd driven by a connection to nature while being inspired by the people around him.
