January 1 ushered in the new TxA Board of Directors. Along with the president and president-elect, our Board’s Executive Committee is made up of the treasurer, secretary, and four vice presidents, who all serve two-year terms.
Gabriella Bermea, AIA, NOMA, joins the board as the Vice President of Practice and Recognition. Gabriella is an associate and design architect with VLK Architects with a passion for educational design, philanthropy, and advocacy. She is deeply rooted in community advocacy and equity efforts within the state and has served on leadership roles with AIA National, Texas Society of Architects, Pflugerville Education Foundation, NCARB, and the ACE Mentor Program of America.
Catherine Callaway, AIA, returns to the Board as Vice President of Advocacy. Catherine is an associate vice president and the director of sustainability and building performance at Kirksey. She is deeply involved in green building advocacy in the region and has led committees with the AIA, Texas Society of Architects, Rice Design Alliance, and the City of Houston Green Building Resource Center.
Sergio Lainez, AIA, returns for his second year as Vice President of Professional Development. He is principal and founder of Lainez Architects in Harlingen. Sergio has served on multiple TxA committees, including Community Engaged Design and EDI, and locally led AIA LRGV as President in 2018 and Chapter Director for 2019-2020.
Samantha Markham, AIA, joins the Board as the Vice President of Communications. She is the North Texas K-12 Market Leader for Stantec and also serves as a project manager for K-12 clients around DFW. Samantha has served in multiple roles at TxA and AIA Dallas, including the Young Architect Representative for Texas, TxA Chapter Director for Dallas, TxA’s Education Outreach Chair, and AIA Dallas Director of Education.
Dana Walton, AIA, joins the Board as Treasurer. Dana is principal and founder of Design Peridot in Amarillo. Her past roles with TxA include serving as a Chapter Director, and as a member of the Texas Architectural Foundation Board, Finance Committee, and the Public Outreach Task Force. Locally, her involvement includes serving as VP of Development for the AIA Amarillo chapter, to impactful roles in community boards including the City of Amarillo Construction Advisory and Appeals Board, Downtown Design and Advisory Board, and the West Texas A&M University College of Fine Arts and Humanities Board. Dana is deeply committed to her community, evidenced by her involvement in numerous nonprofit boards and co-chairing major fundraisers like AMoA Alliance’s Christmas Roundup and the Amarillo Symphony Ball.
Steve Wood, AIA, returns as Secretary. He is a vice president and principal with BYSP Architects in Wichita Falls. He is very active within his community and enjoys serving on several local non-profit boards and city commissions. Steve has also been active within TxA, serving as a Chapter Director (2018-2019), and a member of the Nominating and EVP Transition committees.