Rob Watson, LEED Fellow, is an international leader in market transformation in solid waste, green buildings and sustainable tourism. Best known as the “Founding Father of LEED,” which he launched in 1993. Under Rob’s direction, LEED became the world’s largest, fastest-growing green building standard. Author Thomas Friedman called Rob “one of the best environmental minds in America.” In 2002, Watson received the U.S. Green Building Council’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2016, Watson founded the Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Performance (SWEEP) Standard, a comprehensive framework for triple bottom line performance of municipal solid waste programs and private solid waste companies. Rob currently is a Principal at Upland Road Advisors, an innovator in waste separation and processing that can recycle 95% of the waste stream. In 2019, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine recognized Watson as one of “25 Most Influential Alumni” in the College’s 250-year history.