Pete Ed Garrett, FAIA, founding partner of Studio RED Architects, has over 30 years of award-winning architecture and design experience in the public and private sector with particular emphasis in entertainment, performing arts centers and public assembly facilities. His projects have been recognized locally, nationally, and internationally with awards for design excellence. He has designed or provided consultation for over 40 theaters. Nationally recognized architects Cesar Pelli, Tom Beeby and Robert A.M. Stern have sought his advice on theater design. Entertainment innovators Universal Studios and Disney have enlisted Garrett for his technical expertise to support revolutionary entertainment concepts.

Stephanie Burritt is a Principal and Managing Director of Gensler's Houston office. Stephanie's career with Gensler began in 1989 when she joined the London office. Six years later, she transferred to Houston and has since had the opportunity to manage workplace projects ranging from 1,000 to 1 million square feet in size. During her time in Houston, she has primarily focused on designing for energy and professional service firm clients, many of whom are long-term and global relationships. Stephanie has been a member and advocate of The Texas Association for Interior Design for more than 15 years. She first served as a board member for the Gulf Coast Region, and then held roles as Vice President, President, and VP of Students and Education. Stephanie also

supports the Boy Scouts of America at a local and national level, formerly acting as a Venture Crew Advisor for Troop 641. As a champion for the continued health and growth of Houston, Stephanie currently serves on the Board of Directors for Central Houston. Over the past three years, Stephanie has been recognized as a recipient for both Bisnow Houston's Power Women Award and Houston Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Award. Most recently, she was the recipient of the International Interior Design Association award for Design Leadership.

Kelie Mayfield is a designer, storyteller, and the founder of MaRS Culture — a Houston-based studio known for weaving deep narrative, artistry, and cultural meaning into every space it creates. A lifelong maker at heart, Kelie brings an intuitive sense of beauty and connection to her work, whether she’s designing interiors, curating artisans, or shaping a new retail–gallery concept that celebrates creativity in fresh, inspiring ways.

When she’s not immersed in design, Kelie is usually with her family — cheering on her son Gavin at a soccer match, going on creative or outdoor adventures with her daughter Izzy and her husband Jeff, or exploring Houston’s hidden gems. She loves wandering through galleries, visiting local makers’ studios, discovering great food, and planning trips that spark curiosity and culture.

Those who know Kelie well aren’t surprised to learn she’s been creating worlds since childhood. She was the kid constantly rearranging her room, building things from scratch, and dreaming up elaborate craft projects. That imaginative spirit still fuels her today. She finds joy in art, architecture, travel, fitness, and the restorative calm of nature — whether it’s a hike, a ski slope, canyoning in big landscapes, or simply watching a great design documentary like Grand Designs.

Kelie’s happiest moments are often the simplest: long dinners with loved ones, genuine conversation, spontaneous laughter, and watching her kids grow into their passions. Connection, creativity, and joy remain the foundation of everything she does.

And then there’s Schuyler — her beloved Bernedoodle and the undeniable boss of the office. Schuyler, a giant teddy bear of a dog with soft curls and a sweet soul, greets guests, supervises meeting rooms, and brings daily warmth to the team. On humid days, Schuyler and Kelie even end up with matching curls, much to everyone’s amusement.

Houston is home for Kelie — a city full of grit, generosity, culture, and creative momentum. It’s where her family is rooted, where MaRS Culture thrives, and where inspiration arrives around every corner.

Roger is HOK’s design principal in Texas, working in Houston while leading design teams in that studio as well as in Dallas and Austin. He is a member of the firm’s board of directors and global design board. Through his design leadership, Roger serves an integral role in steering the direction of HOK’s work in the Texas and U.S. Gulf Coast region. He is passionate about weaving his work into the fabric of a city. Roger is recognized for his design expertise in complex commercial and corporate planning and design throughout the U.S. and abroad. He is highly regarded for his expansive knowledge in sustainable design and considered an industry expert in the design of high-performance tall buildings as well as complex corporate campuses, government and civic buildings, higher education, hospitality and healthcare facilities.

Gin Braverman is the founder and creative director of the visionary firm gin design group. She has spent the last decade shaping Houston’s burgeoning hospitality scene, developing originative and fully integrated designs for award-winning food and beverage concepts, independent chefs, sommeliers and national restaurant and hospitality groups.

Like all worthwhile paths, Gin’s was winding. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, her career began in NYC working in production for TV and film, ultimately designing for HGTV’s extreme home remodel show Home Rules. She also spent significant time abroad, traveling Europe and living in Asia, at one point working with a Taiwanese design firm. When she moved to Houston, she joined the team at Installations Antiques, where she deepened her appreciation for and understanding of artisanship in the built-environment apprenticing in their workshop. Multi-cultural fascination and global immersion define her approach and inform her diverse design portfolio both in and outside of Houston.

The firm's work has been featured in such esteemed publications as GQ, Architectural Digest, The Architect’s Newspaper, Texas Monthly, PaperCity, Wallpaper* City Guide, Interior Design, The New York Times, Hospitality Design, and others.

Lisa attended The University of Texas at Austin earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. For over 30 years as a Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager, Lisa has established herself as a capable and creative designer for a variety of commercial projects with an expertise in environmentally and acoustically sensitive projects. Her commitment to a collaborative design team approach results in functional AND beautiful projects. As a LEED Accredited Professional she has a passion for energy efficiency and sustainable design.

As a founding partner of CEG, Lisa relies on her strong faith to direct the way in which she conducts business. She is committed to customer service, attention to detail and thrives on complex projects.

With a seasoned hospitality career that includes game changing & award-winning restaurants, hotels, spas & amenities, Lisa unifies the best talent to create the global dream team for each unique project.

Michael Hsu, FAIA, IIDA is the founder and principal of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, a fully integrated architecture and interior design firm. MHOA was founded in 2005 and employs 90 team members across studios in Austin and Houston, with additional staff members in Dallas and Denver. MHOA is a nationally award-winning firm, including AIA Austin’s Firm of the Year in 2016. Hsu graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture and has practiced in Austin since 1998. Hsu is the Texas Society of Architects Austin Chapter Director, and a member of the UT School of Architecture’s Advisory Council. He is a Past President of AIA Austin and was elevated to AIA’s College of Fellows in 2021.

A graduate of Rice University with a master’s degree in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Trinity University, Founding Principal Scott Ziegler is a thought leader on the subject of urbanism, as well as a frequent guest speaker at Rice University, Urban Land Institute, Texas Society of Architects, and Multifamily Executive Conferences. As Practice Area Leader of the Urban Residential Studio, Scott plays an active role in shaping the urban landscape through his published writings in professional journals on the subjects of sustainable urban growth strategies and high-density mixed-use developments. Scott’s urban residential experience is tempered by industry leaders including Hines, Gables Residential Trust, General Investment and Development, The Hanover Companies, Camden REIT, Trammell Crow Residential, Dinerstein Companies, and Forest City for the design of low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise developments. With projects totaling over 18 million s.f. and $2.5 billion in construction value, Scott is adept at providing design direction to his clients in the form of density studies, developing appropriate unit mix, unit design, lifestyle demographics, amenity packages, interior design, and insight into future design trends. Scott’s insight and comprehensive knowledge of the profession have led his firm to design numerous award-winning projects that have garnered regional and national recognition. Scott’s design experience reflects his belief that beautiful architecture enriches people’s lives and expresses the spirit of our time through art, craft, and technology.

Lauren Rottet is one of the most-celebrated interior architects in the world today with an extraordinary record of awards, publications, lectures, juries and honors. Rottet is the only woman in history to be elevated to Fellow status by both The American Institute of Architects and International Interior Design Association. She also holds the coveted titles of Interior Design Hall of Fame and Interiors (now Contract) Designer of the Year and Lifetime Appointee to the U.S. General Services Administration’s National Register of Peer Professionals for Design Excellence. In 2006, Rottet was inducted as an Inaugural Member of the Women in Design Hall of Fame. In 2010 she served as a juror in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award and in 2012 was named Boutique Design Designer of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Rottet was inducted into Hospitality Design magazine’s legendary Platinum Circle, the magazine’s highest honor for design professionals. Rottet’s furniture and product designs have earned her four gold medals for Best of NeoCon and a Chicago Athenaeum Award. After graduating with a bachelor’s of Architecture degree from the University of Texas with Highest Honors, Rottet began her career in San Francisco, where she practiced with the accomplished residential design firm Fisher Friedman Associates. Rottet relocated to Chicago to join Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and focus on high-rise office design. Her work with SOM took her back to Texas where she was Senior Designer on several major high-rise buildings, museums and planning projects. When the building boom stopped, Rottet focused her creative energies on interiors and was soon asked by SOM to start an Interiors practice in Los Angeles. After successfully building that practice, Rottet and several SOM partners joined forces to create the architecture and interiors firm, Keating Mann Jernigan Rottet. After expanding from a staff of six to sixty in only four years, the partners joined Daniel Mann Johnson & Mendenhall (DMJM) to further expand their growing practice. Rottet was Principal-in-Charge of the interiors practice, DMJM Rottet, for fourteen years. In 2008, she left DMJM to form the privately held, WBE-certified, Rottet Studio with a team of architects and designers she has worked with for as many as 25 years. Rottet is known for her expertise and leadership in the Design of Office Environments and has created offices for many of the Fortune100 Companies including Goldman Sachs, Disney and GE as well as the top International Financial Service and Law Firms. In particular she is sited for her expertise in advancing office design to reflect a current approach based on technology and contemporary methods of working. Years ago, her furniture designs set the standard for the Law Office work wall and she is currently developing furniture to accommodate the new way of working. With over 40 million sf of built office and Law firm experience, Rottet continues to lead the industry in innovative thinking and design.

Jeffrey Brown, FAIA, is Principal-in-Charge of Design for Powers Brown Architecture which he

co-founded. Practicing architecture for more than 20 years, Brown has an array of experience

working on multiple building types for both public and private entities; he is an accomplished

designer with unique graphic communication and strategic planning skills. His ability to design

utilizing an interactive process of project definition and interpretation has resulted in distinguished

design awards and published works.

Brown has been instrumental in leading the firm to numerous awards including a Citation in the

2012 Annual Design Review from Architect magazine and recognition from the Tilt-Up Concrete

Association as the 2008 and 2014 recipient of the Irving Gill Distinguished Architect Award for the

firm’s and his own contribution to the design and advancement of tilt wall construction. Additional

accolades have come from the Texas Society of Architects, American Institute of Architects

Houston, AIA DC|Washington, Design Excellence Awards and the Urban Land Institute. The

firm’s work has been widely covered in magazines and books including his latest, Tiltwallism: A

Treatise on the Architectural Potential of Tilt Wall Construction is available through book sellers

nationwide.

Brown has a passion for shaping architecture and the architects of tomorrow. He has taught as

an assistant at his alma mater, Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and as an

adjunct professor at both The University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and

Prairie View A&M. He has been a guest critic at the above-mentioned institutions, Rice University,

Roger Williams University and the University of Texas at Arlington. Brown is also active in

numerous professional organizations including NAIOP; and the Tilt-Up Concrete Association,

where he serves as President on the board of directors.

Adam Cryer is Co-founder and President of Pinnacle Structural Engineers. He is a graduate of Rice University, who subsequently obtained his Masters in Structural Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin. In 2014, Adam was named as a Top 40 under 40 professional by Building Design & Construction magazine, as well as one of Structural Engineering magazine’s Top 15 Rising Stars in the U.S. He has written articles for both Modern Steel Construction and Structural Engineer magazine, including “Built to Tilt”, an article on tilt-up design, published in 2013. Adam has participated on professional panels for both ACI and the Tilt-up Construction Association, and has served as a judge for the TCA’s Awards and AGC APEX Awards for the past 6 years. Adam is also Vice Chairman of the Board for ACE Mentor Program Houston, a non-profit organization that mentors high school students for future careers in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction fields.

Jon Pickard has been recognized internationally for his achievements in architecture. He has designed or collaborated in the

design of some of the world’s most recognized buildings, including such prominent projects as the ExxonMobil Global Campus,

609 Main and BG Group Place, all in Houston; Norfolk Southern’s new headquarters and 1180 Peachtree in Atlanta;

Northwestern Mutual’s headquarters in Milwaukee; the Devon Energy Center in Oklahoma City; 300 North LaSalle in downtown

Chicago; and, the CalPERS Headquarters Complex in Sacramento.

Prior to the founding of Pickard Chilton, he collaborated with Cesar Pelli in the design of numerous landmark and award-winning

projects, including the World Financial Center in New York, and Kuala Lumpur City Centre, a development that included the

Petronas Towers.

Mr. Pickard received his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Iowa State University and his Master of Architecture from the Yale

School of Architecture. He has lectured extensively at academic institutions and currently serves on the Yale School of

Architecture Dean’s Council.

Lauri Goodman Lampson is a business visionary who challenges executives to rethink their

approach to work and place. As PDR’s President and CEO, she is the mastermind behind the

firm’s innovative business model and integrated approach to consulting, design, and brand

services.

PDR guides organizations to leverage the boundless opportunities in front of them to move

forward faster. They work to simplify the complexity of workplace decisions— creating places

and experiences that make people, businesses, ideas, and decisions BETTER.

As a designer, workplace strategist, and business advisor, Lauri has built PDR into the thought

leadership platform and creative powerhouse it is today.