The Voice for Texas Architecture

Associate Member of the Year

The Texas Society of Architects Associate Member of the Year award is presented to an Associate AIA member who best exemplifies the highest qualities of leadership and has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to his or her local component, or to Texas’ membership through service to the profession and/or in the community.

2024 Recipient:
Kate Sector, Assoc. AIA

Kate Sector, Assoc. AIA

San Antonio

Kate Sector, Assoc. AIA, is an emerging leader in sustainability. A design performance manager for Lake|Flato Architects, she has led significant investigative work on embodied carbon and climate resiliency. She has also written two publications on the subject and shared her knowledge extensively at conferences and universities. Sector has been a leader in AIA San Antonio’s Committee on the Environment and started a COTE Top 10 Student Competition at UTSA that inspired the start of a student COTE chapter. She has also partnered with the Office of Historic Preservation to bring various events to the community.

2024 Recipient:
Leslie Tijerina, Assoc. AIA

Leslie Tijerina, Assoc. AIA

College Station

Leslie Tijerina, Assoc. AIA, has made exceptional contributions to her firm and the professional community early in her career. As an associate and project manager at BRW Architects, Tijerina has distinguished herself through her mentorship and in her innovative approach to public facility design. She has served as a member of the National Associate Committee at AIA; state associate representative for TxA; and Architecture in Schools coordinator, EP director, and executive committee member for AIA Brazos. In addition, she has been active at Texas A&M University as a studio guest lecturer, studio review juror, and AIAS speaker and panelist.

Past Recipients

2023
Stephanie Aranda, Assoc. AIA
San Antonio

Katie Hitt, Assoc. AIA
Dallas

2022
Oswaldo Rivera-Ortiz, Assoc. AIA
Dallas

2021
Dennis Chiessa, Assoc. AIA
Fort Worth

2020
Ricardo Maga Rojas, Assoc. AIA
Austin

2019
Sandra Montalbo, Assoc. AIA
San Antonio

2018
Victoria Scott Carpenter, Assoc. AIA
Austin

2017
Jack Murphy, Assoc. AIA
Houston

2016
R. Wilson Hanks, Assoc. AIA
Austin

2015
Beau J. Frail, Assoc. AIA
Austin

2014
Chris Grossnicklaus, Assoc. AIA
Dallas

2013
Steven Marrone, Assoc. AIA
San Antonio

2012
Cesar Gallegos, Assoc. AIA
El Paso

2011
Yesenia M. Blandon, Assoc. AIA
Dallas

2010
Mary Foley Butler, Assoc. AIA
Dallas

2009
Tiffany Robinson Long, Assoc. AIA
San Antonio

2008
Arthur Calcaterra, Assoc. AIA
Fort Worth

2007
David “Jamie” Crawley, Assoc. AIA
Austin

2006
Jason E. Puchot, Assoc. AIA
Houston

2005
Horeya A. Hilmy, Assoc. AIA
McAllen

2004
Amy Hammons, Assoc. AIA
Austin

2003
Jason M. Adams, Assoc. AIA
Fort Worth

2002
Elizabeth M. Price, Assoc. AIA
Bryan