The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has launched Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Fellow, a program that recognizes exceptional contributions to the green-building community and significant professional achievement within the growing community of LEED professionals.

“Candidates are nominated by their peers, and the selection will be based on their body of work and the way it has contributed to advancing the field of green building,” Beth Holst, vice president of credentialing for the GBCI, said.

To be eligible for the LEED Fellow designation, an individual must nominate him/herself or be nominated by a peer. The current nomination period is open until Jan. 7. Nominees must have 10 years of green-building experience and have held the LEED Accredited Professional with specialty credential for at least eight cumulative years.

The LEED Fellow program is the result of more than two years of research that helped the GBCI define what it means to be at the forefront of the green-building industry. The findings were synthesized into five mastery elements in which LEED Fellows are expected to demonstrate expert-level knowledge and experience: Technical Proficiency, Education and Mentoring, Leadership, Commitment and Service, and Advocacy.

The 2011 class of LEED Fellows will be announced at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild International Conference & Expo to be held in Toronto in October 2011. More information is available at www.gbci.org/fellow.