Profile banner
Melanie Colburn

Melanie Colburn

USGBC director focused on market transformation, smart buildings, and decarbonization

melaniecolburn
San Francisco Bay Area, California
Joined August 2025
Favicon imageusgbc.org
Favicon imageusgbc.org
Favicon imageusgbc-ca.org

Network

2.9K connections
🏗️
Green Building Leaders
🌱
Sustainability Strategists
🏛️
Clean Energy Policy
🌎
USGBC Community
đź’ˇ
...
🤝
CELI Alumni
đź’»
Google Sustainability Tech

Summary

Market transformation and regional leadership: Melanie has led USGBC's Pacific/Northern California market-transformation work—managing regional programming, co‑chairing Market Leader Advisory Boards, and serving as the regional contact on municipal and policy initiatives—demonstrating strengths in coalition building, events leadership (e.g., Smart Building Summit), and regional advocacy. usgbc-ca+2
Subject-matter focus on smart buildings and decarbonization: Across sessions and authored articles, Melanie focuses on smart-building programming, embodied/operational carbon, and low‑carbon materials—positioning her as a practitioner bridging technical decarbonization topics and market/policy engagement. usgbc+1
Sustainability practice and education: Her background includes sustainability strategy and management consulting, prior sustainability work at Autodesk, and graduate training (MBA in Sustainable Business). She also engages with academic and advisory groups (Political Economy Advisory Board at UC Berkeley) and has pursued continuing education in circular economy. gettingtozeroforum+1

Work

Education

Writing

West coast policies promote low-carbon building materials

January 31, 2022

Article describing state and local policy efforts on low-carbon building materials and how regional policies are advancing cleaner building projects, aligned with LEED and decarbonization efforts.

Favicon imageusgbc.org

Building community well-being (USGBC Pacific region)

November 18, 2021

Short USGBC Pacific region article focused on community well-being, indoor environmental quality, and linking building performance to occupant and community health.

Favicon imageusgbc.org

A 2020 recap for USGBC's Pacific region

January 1, 2021

Recap of key activities and community highlights for USGBC's Pacific region during 2020, including programming, advocacy, and member engagement.

Favicon imageusgbc.org

Notes

MAMike Altmansaid
MCMelanie Colburn
is one of the most impressive professionals they've worked with in climate-related roles.

Feb 16, 2026

Similar profiles

AB

Anshuman Bapna

MC

Mark Chung

Member Board of Directors at The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)

PH

Patrick Hermann

Flex Load/Demand Response (DR) & Residential Energy Efficiency (REE) Portfolio Segment Manager at Seattle City Light

MY

McGee Young

Founder and CEO at WattCarbon

SG

Shane Gring

Founding President and Worker-Member at Certainly

BM

Breene Murphy

President at Carbon Collective