GERALD D. HINES COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

Director, Department of Planning & Development, City of Houston

After graduating from the University of Houston College of Architecture in 1983, Margaret Wallace Brown began her career in the private sector with Interfin Corporation. Later, inspired by John Ruskin’s quote in the Houston City Hall rotunda, “When we build, let us think that we build forever,” she became a public servant in 1986 joining the Planning & Development Department. She was appointed Director in 2019.

As Director, Margaret has a direct impact on improving Houston’s urban form. Currently, she is refocusing the City towards more walkable and context-sensitive developments. With support from the professional community, neighborhood activists and elected officials, she is changing the City’s development regulations giving architects and developers more freedom and opportunities to design safer streetscapes and more compact, multi-modal developments. Because of her efforts, the City of Houston is creating new programs that encourage the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing. It is also assessing rules to ensure that past inequities are not continued.

A died-in-the-wool Houstonian, she cheers on the Coogs and the Astros and spends as much free time as possible walking the bayou trails with her family.  

Ziegler Cooper Architects, Senior Principal and Senior Vice President

Nolen serves Ziegler Cooper Architects (ZCA) as Practice Area Leader of the Workplace Interiors Studio, dedicated to workplace design for clients in the accounting, consulting, energy, engineering, finance, insurance, law, and technology sectors. He has over decades of project management and design experience with corporate interiors, landlord services, and commercial architecture projects. Nolen’s clientele includes major corporations, real estate brokers, institutional owners, real estate developers, building leasing agents, and property managers.

Nolen is a graduate of the University of Houston with a bachelor degree in architecture, and is a member of several industry affiliated associations, including the National Council Architectural Review Board (NCARB), Texas Society of Architecture (TSA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the University of Houston Architecture and Design Alumni Association (UHADAA), where he served as president. He was an active member of the Hines College’s Leadership Council from 2015-2021.

Managing Principal, Method Architecture

As Method's Managing Principal, Rayburn ‘Jake’ Donaldson oversees the firm's four geographic market offices in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio representing $15mil+ in annual sales, three service lines, 75 staff members, and 800+ projects annually. He manages the firm’s business operations team and leads strategic growth initiatives including acquisitions and Method’s affiliate partner firm Blue Arrow Architecture, which specializes in native, tribal, and federal projects. Jake employs a servant-minded leadership style that embodies leading by example, collaboration, encouraging feedback, and empowering others.

Jake partakes in regular speaking engagements on mentorship, leadership, and entrepreneurship across architectural, commercial real estate, and craft brewing industries. He has served in numerous board and committee positions with NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Organization, Houston Food Bank, Urban Land Institute, American Institute of Architects Houston, Texas Society of Architects, Architecture for Humanity, and the Native American Business Association. Jake is the recipient of several national awards including NAIOP Developing Leaders, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development 40 under 40, Texas A&M 12 under 12, and ENR 20 under 40.

SWA Group, Associate

After completing her biology degree at Loyola University New Orleans, Rachel began architectural studies at the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. She briefly worked as an architectural designer in Natalye Appels’ office before transitioning to Landscape Architecture at OJB. During her almost seven year tenure at OJB, she worked on a variety of projects including public infrastructure, streetscapes, parks, mixed-use, residential and corporate campuses.

In 2020, she made the transition to SWA where she continues to work on public parks including Brackenridge Park (San Antonio, Texas) and Alief Park (Houston, Texas). Over the course of her career she has collaborated with internationally recognized design firms including OMA, Bjarke Ingles Group, Kendall Heaton, and Pickard Chilton. She equally enjoys developing concept and narrative as well as a technical challenge, and she is especially passionate about park projects and mentoring the next generation of designers. She was a key member on the following award winning projects: Levy Park, a ULI Urban Space Award and ASLA Texas Chapter Honor Award for Design recipient; American Airlines Robert L. Crandall Campus, a ULI North Texas Impact Award; and Toyota North American Headquarters, a ULI award for Design Excellence and Sustainability.