Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture + Design

Distinguished Alumni Award Winner

Associate Principal | Page & Turnbull

Elisa Hernández Skaggs is an architect committed to the creative transformation and adaptation of historic structures for contemporary uses. Her projects range from large scale rehabilitation projects to designing accessibility improvements that provide equal access to historic buildings. Her expertise includes entitlements, tax credits, and evaluations for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Her projects have extended the life of significant cultural assets, revitalized communities, and promoted inclusivity. Her projects include the iconic Ghirardelli Square, the Hallidie Building (one of the first curtain wall buildings in the United States), and the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, the first public space in the United States dedicated to celebrating Chicano Art and Culture. She is an Associate Principal with Page & Turnbull, a full-service architecture, design, planning, and preservation firm in San Francisco.

Skaggs is committed to elevating preservation in the public discourse as evidenced by her service and community involvement at both the local and national level. She is the Board Chair for San Francisco Heritage, a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and enhance San Francisco’s unique architectural and cultural identity. SF Heritage has played a crucial role in preserving numerous historic buildings in San Francisco, which contribute to the city's character.

She is on the AIA National Historic Resources Committee’s (HRC) Advisory Group and will be chair in 2026. The HRC’s mission is to identify, understand, and preserve architectural heritage. Her responsibilities include programing for the AIA’s Conference on Architecture and a bi-annual colloquium at Taliesin West. Her involvement with the HRC has led to partnerships with the National Park Service and the National Trust.

Skaggs serves on the steering committee of the AIASF Latinx in Architecture (LiA). Her commitments to LiA include programing to benefit the Latinx design community and contributing to partnerships with local schools that support Latinx students through scholarships and mentorship. Elisa looks forward to sharing her story in Volume III of Latinas in Architecture, a book series dedicated to encouraging the licensure of Latina architects, to be released this year.

Leadership Alumni Award Winner

Global Strategic Programme Manager, Workplace | BP

Micki Washington, is a licensed architect and registered interior designer with over 24 years of experience in corporate interiors, real estate strategy, and design leadership. She currently serves as Global Strategic Programme Manager at BP, where she is driving innovative, human-centered transformation across the company’s real estate portfolio, aligning workplace strategy with the future of work on a global scale.

Her leadership extends beyond the corporate realm into community and industry impact. Washington currently serves her second term as President of the Houston Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), where she has led initiatives that expand equity, access, and visibility for underrepresented voices in architecture. Under her leadership, the chapter launched its first-ever scholarship program, expanded varied advocacy events, and forged meaningful partnerships with professional leaders and organizations across Houston.

Washington was selected as a national cohort member of Tarkett’s inaugural Workplace Design Advisory Council, where she collaborates with other design thought leaders to shape research, innovation, and trends for the evolving workplace.

She is the 2025 recipient of the IIDA TX/OK ICON Award, celebrating her lasting influence on design leadership, has been published in varied articles from Work Design Magazine, Metropolis, Fast Company and Wall Street Journal with additional recognitions including the 2023 HBJ Women Who Mean Business, 2023 Bisnow Houston Women Leading Real Estate, and 2022 Bisnow Women in the C-Suite Leading CRE.

A proud alumna of the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design (M.Arch ’04), Washington has recently returned as an Adjunct Professor, teaching History & Theory of Interior Architecture to 3rd year students and mentoring the next generation of diverse design professionals.

Successful Entrepreneur Award Winner

Chief Executive Officer | ARIA Signs & Design + Architectural Products

Shaya Attaei is the CEO and founder of ARIA Signs & Design + Architectural Products, based in Houston, Texas. He earned both his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design and Master of Architecture from the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. Inspired by a passion for art, architecture, and hands-on construction from a young age, Attaei launched ARIA with his brother while still attending school. Under Shaya’s leadership, the company has grown into a respected firm serving major clients. His work reflects a strong belief in the power of design, hard work, and lasting professional relationships, the cougar way.

 

Innovator Alumni Award Winner

BIM Technologist | Skidmore Owings & Merrill – NYC

Camilo Reinales is a multidisciplinary design technology leader and painter who seamlessly integrates architecture, algorithm-aided design, and digital fabrication. His creative fluency bridges architectural innovation, artistic expression, and technology.

With deep expertise in computational design, advanced manufacturing, and workflow automation, Camilo has successfully led BIM efforts on major projects in New York and internationally. Notable projects include One Manhattan West, Governor Island New York Climate Exchange, New York City Disney Headquarters, Kempegowda International Airport, Waldorf Astoria Renovations, New York Public Health Lab, and Temple University’s Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication, and more. His diverse work spans architectural design, additive manufacturing, furniture and product design, installations, and automation workflows.

As BIM department leader at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) New York, Reinales shapes design technology workflows, digital fabrication strategies, AI integration, and advanced manufacturing initiatives—advancing the firm’s design and delivery pipeline. Alongside his professional career, Reinales maintains an active painting practice with exhibitions in Manhattan and Brooklyn. His art explores the manifestation of sentiment through grounding vessels like bones—a recurring theme that connects viewers through primal, nostalgic, and honest representations. This artistic engagement reflects his deep creative process.

Reinales is a member of AIA NY and participated in the 2022 Torch Mentorship Program, mentored by Jill Lerner, FAIA, and Neil Katz, FAIA.

Committed to diversity and inclusion, Reinales leads Arquitectos, SOM’s New York employee resource group celebrating Latinx and Hispanic culture. In this role, he advances mentorship, licensure support, and knowledge-sharing while strengthening connections between SOM and the broader Latinx community, fostering future leaders within the firm and the industry.

Reinales’s work exemplifies a forward-thinking blend of design, technology, art, and cultural leadership—driving innovation and representation in architecture today.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award Winner

Project Manager | BRAVE/architecture

Jes Deaver, AIA is an accomplished writer, speaker, filmmaker, and award-winning architect. Her stories have been published in Connections Magazine, Texas Architect and The Architect’s Newspaper. Through her science fiction and independent research, she connects design, meaning and place to positive futures.

Deaver has worked in theater, film, and television for over a decade before expanding into architecture. She worked on theater and library design in Los Angeles at Pfeiffer Architects before returning to Texas following Hurricane Harvey. In 2020, she served as the AIA Austin Women in Architecture Committee Chair developing initiatives during the pandemic to include virtual networking, wellness talks, lecture series, a drive-in film, Profiles video series, writing and directing the documentary A Violet Horizon, and co-hosting a 2-day virtual symposium with AIA New Orleans.

Deaver also served on TxA’s Public Outreach Task Force, and on the AIA Austin Design Awards committee for four years, championing diversity and transdisciplinary thinking. Deaver spoke at Texas Tech University College of Architecture’s Lecture series and was later selected as the H. Deane Pierce Visiting Assistant Professor. In 2025, she presented her innovative graduate design studio, Sci-Fi House at the South by Southwest (SXSW) international tech conference and on the NY-based podcast Imaginary Worlds. 

National profiles about her were published in Residential Design magazine, Western Art and Architecture magazine, and on podcasts Architectette and TalkDESIGN. Deaver’s work has won design awards from AIA Austin, Preservation Austin, ARCHITECT magazine, and has been published in Dwell, Austin Home, and RD magazine. Her firm Nick Deaver Jes Deaver Architecture was named one of Austin’s Best Architects in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Deaver is a licensed AIA member, certified by NCARB, and a Safety Assessment Evaluator on the Texas Disaster Response Team.