Sarah brings a remarkable record of achievement at the intersection of sustainability, climate and the built environment at the local, national and international levels. She has previously served in numerous roles at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), most recently directing $550 million in funding for energy and health improvements to schools and nonprofit facilities and standing up the State and Community Energy Program. She also served as senior advisor for DOE’s Building Technologies Office, where she led a portfolio of research and deployment initiatives around zero energy building efforts, district and community-scale solutions, and data infrastructure. In previous roles at DOE, Sarah led local government clean energy innovation programs.
Prior to her time at DOE, Sarah established the City of Baltimore’s Office of Sustainability. In this role, she launched a range of efforts including the Baltimore Sustainability Plan, the city's original green building requirements, the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge, and multiple other initiatives. Previous work includes comprehensive sustainability planning in Teton County, Wyoming, efficiency program outreach at the North Carolina Energy Office, researching biofuel markets at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and LEED consulting for commercial real estate portfolios.
Sarah received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and both a Master of Environmental Management and a Master of Public Policy from Duke University.
In the newly created CPO position, Zaleski works collaboratively with the CEO, boards of directors, and members of the executive team to lead strategy, development, delivery and optimization of the global portfolio of USGBC and GBCI programs and services, including research, standards, and education.