This time of year good news typically comes in the form of "the semester is almost over!" We wanted to add some additional items to our list that we could celebrate. Join us in congratulating or being thankful for the support of the following items:
Architecture Student, Scott Bojanowski one of the Commended Entries for the Architizer's 3rd annual One Drawing Challenge. Architizer is saying that "these extraordinary drawings form a powerful reflection of our times, and prove that, while some of its greatest challenges burden the world in recent memory, the creativity of the architectural community remains undimmed."
Lenita Dunlap, Ph.D. Student and Graduate Research Assistant, will be honored with the United Nation’s Association Award this Saturday October 30, 2021. Dunlap proudly shares this special honor with the University because she created the awarded program with her “newly acquired research skills” from her Fall 2014 CAPPA courses.
Ladan Mozaffarian, Ph.D. Student of Urban Planning and Public Policy (UPPP), receives the 2021 William J. Pitstick Scholarship from the UMANT Executive Committee. Mozaffarian shares the achievement to thank Dr. Coursey for sharing the wonderful opportunity and providing support throughout the process.
Fernando Rojas Cervantes, architecture student and Fort Worth artist, wrote a first-person piece for Fort Worth Reportthat told his story and journey toward art. The story also appeared in Arlington’s Patch.com, sharing his experience moving from Mexico to the United States and his love for art. Fernando Rojas Cervantes has murals in San Antonio and Fort Worth and at the Trinity River trails.
Qian He, Ph.D. student selected and awarded a $4,000 Scholarship by the American Planning Association(APA) Foundation Scholarship. This award is given to diverse students who intend to pursue careers in planning and are enrolled in Planning Accreditation Board accredited planning programs.
Qian He is a Ph.D. Candidate in Urban Planning and Public Policy and an Instructor at the Department of Public Affairs and Planning. Her research focuses on environmental equity and community development through public transit, neighborhood safety, and public health. She is particularly interested in examining how urban planning policies shape health outcomes and the well-being of historically disadvantaged communities. Qian's dissertation explores the social determinants of mental health under the impacts of urban environments and social equity using longitudinal data from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area with the Spatial-Econometric modeling techniques.
Sally Ayuk, an Urban Planning and Public Policy student, has been accepted for the Walton Transportation Research Fellowship. Ayuk will be participating in a summer internship at the University of Texas at Austin Center for Transportation Research (CTR). The fellowship provides an opportunity for Ayuk to learn how public agencies decide on complex technological issues, which will culminate in the publication and presentation of a research paper relevant to the topic of transportation.
Angeles Margarida, a current Master of Landscape Architecture student, received the 2021 Bill Millsap Fellowship: The Art of Landscape Architecture from the Architecture and Design Foundation. The fellowship awarded Angeles with $2,500 to help facilitate a research project, an experiment, or a supplemental experience in art or creative landscape expression. The foundation chose Angeles amongst numerous and impressive applications for this year’s fellowship. Therefore, Angeles has been invited to a Recognition Breakfast with the Architecture and Design Foundation Board of Directors and the Scholarship Committee to celebrate her tremendous achievement.
Angeles Margarida (Landscape Architecture) collaborated with five DFW-based artists and The University of Texas at Arlington FabLab to create a project called “Empowering Artists Who have Experienced Homelessness Through Temporary Public Art in the City of Dallas, Texas.” Angeles’s goal sought to discover if temporary art can be used in the public landscape to empower homeless individuals. Angeles hoped that stories from artists who have experienced homelessness can alter misconceptions, influence creative solutions, and make an impact for homelessness. Margarida reported, “In the past, landscape architecture has divided and excluded communities by not including them in the process. This project, however, aims to unite, include and improve the quality of life of the homeless community in Dallas.” With the help of the FabLab, Angeles designed and built multiple large wall-like structures with the help of the FabLab, which assisted with significant woodwork and vinyl cutting. Margarida hopes to continue her work with a company that shares her values once she graduates.
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has selected Amruta Sakalker as their Ecoleader Community Research Fellow! This fellowship focuses on advancing their equity and justice principles of NWF. Amruta Sakalker is a Ph.D. student in Urban Planning and Public Policy. Amruta is so excited to showcase CAPPA and UTA at this national forum of Ecoleaders. She shares her achievement with Meghna Tare (director of UTA's Institute for Sustainability and Global Impact) and Dr. Reyes-Sanchez, (Assistant Professor, Public Affairs and Planning) for their support and encouragement.
College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs student team won first place in the master plan category of the ninth annual EPA RainWorks Challenge, Chattanoogan.com reported. The UTA entry is titled "The Path Forward: Contain, Clean, and Connect." Here is the team'svideo about the project.
The national competition engages college students in the design of on-campus green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater pollution. First-place teams will receive a $7,000 student prize to be split among team members and a $3,000 faculty prize to support green infrastructure research and training.
Emily Brandt Public Administration and Public Policy Doctoral Student, selected as one of ten Public Administration Network (PATNet) Fellows for 2021. She is presenting a paper titled "Morally Conscious Decision Making: A Theoretical Analysis" at the upcoming Public Administration Theory Conference. The PATNet Fellowship includes:
- Fully paid conference registration.
- Membership to PA Theory Network.
- An invitation to participate in a pre-conference workshop to engage with senior scholars and craft a scholarly identity in PA Theory.
The Public Administration Theory Network's goal is to bring together people engaged in critical thinking about democracy, policy, and administration. Every year in late spring, the Network hosts a conference where scholars can discuss their work and hear from colleagues from all over the world.
Ladan Mozaffarian, Graduate research assistant at the University of Texas at Arlington Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions, and Dollars (C-TEDD), was awarded the Annual University Transportation Center’s Outstanding Student of the Year Award. Ladan is recognized for her outstanding achievements and contributions to transportation research and education.
Sindi Malelli announced as the winner of the CAPPA’s Student Sustainability Award for their winning design project “Greenland: Agriculture as a Driver of Independence” Sindi’s approach was innovative in its multilevel approach, making connections between Greenland’s dependence upon imported food and how responding to the increase in arable land due to a warming climate can change this dependence. A circular design that incorporates modules for hydroponic vertical farming, produce wash areas, produce storage, teaching kitchen, classroom, and local market was presented as a flexible template that could be replicated.
Ph.D. student Shadin Nimery announced as the winner of the inaugural 2021-2022 CAPPA JEDI Award. Through her ongoing research project, “WHAT ARE THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ON THE NOTION OF SMART CITY IN THE DFW METROPOLITAN AREA?” Nimery has offered a thorough analysis of a set of problematic JEDI issues, focusing upon the divide of internet access, particularly in the Dallas Metroplex of 7.5 million people.
Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, said a recent Dallas City Council effort to end panhandling needs to focus on the low quality of the city’s services, not on whether homeless and panhandlers are “service resistant,” The Dallas Observer reported. Lebovits stated that the city casts its homeless population as “service resistant” rather than reviewing the low quality of its services that discourages people from engaging. Instead, Lebovits said that “the services are people resistant; the people aren’t service resistant” after citing severe overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at local homeless shelters as an example.
Hanna Lebovits panel on homelessness was chosen for the “Civic Engagement” track for the SXSW conference.
This time of year good news typically comes in the form of "the semester is almost over!" We wanted to add some additional items to our list that we could celebrate. Join us in congratulating or being thankful for the support of the following items:
We are pleased to report that the following endowments and gifts were either created, made, or expanded in the past month:
- Parekh Kalia Architecture Scholarship Endowment was funded at $25,000. Funds awarded will go towards scholarships to international undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a degree in Architecture who have financial needs.
- JHP/Robert H. James Excellence Endowment will be seeded with an additional $25,000 to support scholarships starting in the fall of 2022. The firm has also renewed its commitment this year to support the CAPPA JEDI award with a $2000 commitment.
- School of Architecture Alumni Association/ Topping Out made a donation of $25,000 to support scholarships, research, and the advancement of the Design-Build+Community Engagement initiative.
Dr. Hyesun Jeong, assistant professor in architecture, for having her research proposal "The Future of Green Infrastructure: Measuring and Designing the Built Environment for Pedestrian and Bicycle Activities in Dallas" accepted for the American Institute of Architects Upjohn Research fund and having received a $15,000 grant award.
Dr. Austin Allen and co-contributor are listed as one of the winners of the 2021 ASLA Professional Award. Dr. Allen wrote a chapter in Black Landscapes Matter by Walter Hood and Grace Mitchell Tada, which was giving the "Award of Excellence." This book “brings together landscape architecture and planning professionals to probe how race, memory, and meaning intersect in the American landscape.” Exploring diverse places across the United States and asserts that these landscapes are critical to shaping individual and communal identities.
The city of Dallas’ Park Board will honor Kevin Sloan, UTA professor of architecture, by renaming the 12th Street Connector Park as the Kevin W. Sloan Park, D Magazine reported. Throughout his career, Sloan has contributed to numerous city projects, including the idea of “re-wilding” the Trinity River Corridor by encouraging the re-establishment of its original flora and fauna.
Hannah Lebovits PhD, Assistant Professor recently published a paper on networking as a graduate student in the social sciences. The paper, co-authored with Sarah Shugars PhD and Seo-Young Silvia Kim PhD, providing students with concrete recommendations on how to create and sustain networking communities. Published in the peer-reviewed political science journal, PS: Political Science and Politics.
Congratulations to Dennis Chiessa, Assistant Professor of Architecture, who received the statewide award for Associate of the Year from the Texas Society of Architects. He was selected out of nominations from all AIA chapters from across Texas, recognizing him as an exceptional member and outstanding achievements in support of the profession of architecture, the built environment, and quality of life in Texas.
*** The Texas Society of Architects Associate Member of the Year award is presented to a single Associate AIA member who best exemplifies the highest leadership qualities and has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to their local component or Texas' membership through service to the profession and/or service or in the community. ***
Dr. David Coursey, Chair of PAPL who is a co-PI with Dr. Jessica Eisma [PI] on a 2-year $299,466 highly competitive federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], Adaptation Sciences Program, titled "Identification of cost-effective, climate-informed green infrastructure adaptations to reduce flood risk in Houston’s vulnerable communities.”
This proposal engages with the community organization Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council; representatives from the City of Houston; and representatives from the County to identify and quantify green infrastructure (GI)-based opportunities to reduce flood risk in Houston’s vulnerable neighborhoods. The project seeks to provide stakeholders with a feasible GI-based flood reduction plan with three major elements: (1) use of an integrated hydrologic and hydraulic model of Houston to investigate how different GI built on underutilized land in low-income communities reduces current and future climate change-induced flood risk; (2) appraisal of the benefits of pursuing a GI-based solution to reducing flood damages in vulnerable communities, examining impacts to both residential areas and local businesses; and (3) engagement with community and local government leaders to identify and analyze obstacles hindering the incorporation of proven adaptation strategies and to suggest opportunities for overcoming these obstacles. The project will produce recommendations for cost-effective GI suitable for urbanized coastal neighborhoods, a climate-informed framework for assessing the costs and benefits of such installations in a vulnerable community, and recommendations for partnering with vulnerable communities to advance GI projects.
Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of public affairs and planning, spoke to The Dallas Morning News about the mutual aid group Say It With Your Chest's efforts to serve the homeless population of Dallas. Lebovits said interpersonal contact between social service providers and their clients ensures that a social connection has been made. Doing laundry is a gesture of solidarity for Say It With Your Chest's organizers and volunteers, making sure they have clean clothes, reaching out, and reacting to people in need. It has also evolved into a means to care for other community members.
Congratulations to Brad McCorkle for having his Artwork accepted by the Texas Artists Coalition (TAC) for the 2021 Arts Center Juried Exhibition. The 2021 Arts Center Juried Exhibition will showcase McCorkle and other artists’ work between August 13 -September 18. The TAC program is supported by the Arts Council of Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Congratulations to Joowon Im and Dennis Chiessa for their exhibit at the Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio in the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth. The project brought landscape architecture and architecture together and could not have happened without the help of local FWISD schools and Community Design Fort Worth. Dennis Chiessa also has a house exhibit currently showing at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. The House of Asterion - an exhibition featuring seven single-family houses. (open until Saturday, August 7).
CAPPA is the newest institutional member of the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC). As such, we join a global group of academic centers and programs at accredited colleges and universities that focus on the study of nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, voluntary action, and philanthropy. Our membership in NACC helps faculty promote these fields of research and network alongside our students. CAPPA’s first NACC conference panel on July 28, 2021, was organized by Dr. Karabi C. Bezboruah and Dr. Emily I. Nwakpuda in the Department of Public Affairs and Planning.
Dr. Hyesun Jeong published an article, “Does café culture drive artistic enclaves?” in the Journal of Urbanism.
Dr. Douglas Klahr published an article in German History by Oxford University Press, the journal of record in his field. The title is “Palace versus City: Wilhelm II’s Terrace Project, 1892-1901”
Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of urban affairs and public policy discussed what makes up anti-Semitism and discrimination in today’s world, Jewish Public Media reported on its program Talking in Shul.
Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice at the UT Arlington College of Architecture, was honored by the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation as one of eight recipients of a $50,000 prize, TheDallas Morning News reported. The foundation has awarded a collective $2.275 million to individual art writers across the country over the past five years. Lamster is the first recipient of the national award who writes principally about architecture.
Dr. Qisheng Pan, Professor of Planning and Director of C-TEDD, recently presented “The Impact of Air Pollution on Housing Prices and The Effect Analysis of Environmental Policies: A Case Study of Houston, USA” at the 15th IACP conference from Jun 20-21, 2021, in Nanjing, China. Dr. Qisheng Pan’s research adopted the Hedonic price model and used housing prices in Houston areas to quantify the impact of ozone pollution on local community populations, which studied the response of housing prices to governmental environment policies.
Dr. Anjomani, Professor of Planning, recently published new research articles in planning and urban-related journals. Dr. Anjomani and Dr. AlQuhtani, have published a paper “Do Rail Transit Stations Affect the Population Density Changes Around Them? The Case of Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area” in the Sustainability 2021, 13(6). The research demonstrated an increase in residential density surrounding transit stations if there were developments or policies to increase racial mix and employment opportunities with mixed-use Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) commercial activities. Dr. Anjomani published an additional article titled, “An integrated land-use/transportation forecasting and planning model: A metropolitan planning support system,” in the Journal of Transportation and Land Use (JTLU). His article proposes a planning and support system (PSS) to help numerous issues in urban areas, such as the effects of future developments on environmental sustainability, economic development, and stakeholder input. Ultimately, the PSS helps institutions prepare metropolitan or subregional plans and demographic analysis for various planning and policy making purposes.
Dr. Hannah Lebovits, an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Planning, makes a statement about issues associated with affordable housing in North Texas on KRLD-AM radio. The interview briefly discusses the growth of people living in poverty as North Texas has approximately “138,000 fewer jobs than before the pandemic” despite the recovering economy. Dr. Hannah Lebovits stated that people are experiencing issues with finding affordable housing from population growth that has led to higher rent. Additionally, Dr. Lebovits mentioned that decades of research have demonstrated that landlords discriminate against LGBTQ and black women with children as poverty grows within suburban areas. Jobs may be available to people, but those jobs may not provide enough funds to support a family.
Dr. Hannah Lebovits, an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Planning, makes a statement about social justice associated with Feed the People Dallas in The Dallas Morning News. Feed the People distributes care packages, groceries, and meals with the help of community members or volunteers in the Dallas area as the organization grows. However, university faculty members have commented that the mutual aid is a form of solidarity rather charity. Mutual aid originated from the Free African Society in 18th century Philadelphia to “financially support newly free black people.” Mutual aid is a continuing practice that coalesces around marginalized communities and urgent crises, which helps efforts more directly as stated by an SMU nonprofit studies lecturer. Social media and other platforms, such as GoFundMe, has aided the growth of mutual aid during the pandemic. Dr. Hannah Lebovits stated that “the pandemic has shown us that a lot of our institutions aren’t able to get to those people who are hardest hit, so hardest hit folks are taking care of themselves. They’re doing it through mutual aid, as opposed to further interacting with established institutions.”
Dr. Qisheng Pan received a sub-award from Texas Southern University (TSU) to work on ongoing research projects of Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions (CM2), USDOT Tier 1 University Transportation Center. Including “Develop a GIS-based Megaregion Transportation Planning Model” (with Dr. Bumseok Chun, Co-PI at TSU), “The Applications of GIS-based Megaregion Transportation. Planning Model: A Case Study on the Impacts of Autonomous Vehicle (AV)” (with Dr. Bumseok Chun, Co-PI at TSU), and “Utilize Crowd-Sourced Data and Machine Learning Technology to Enhance Planning for Transportation Resilience to Flooding” (With Dr. Ming Zhang, PI at UT Austin). Dr. Pan originally served as Principle Investigator (PI) of TSU for the CM2 consortium. After he joined UTA. The sub-award has been developed for UTA with TSU to transfer a portion of Dr. Pan’s CM2 grant to UTA.
David Hopman, associate professor of Landscape Architecture Capstone student project, 'Living Waters Park' which started in fall 2011, is now a full-fledged community service project empowering an underserved Fort Worth community, AB Digital reported. The project mission is to "provide an economic stimulus to East Fort Worth by providing water and land stewardship that targets arts, recreation, and science while preserving the beauty of Lake Arlington and celebrating our diverse community."
Dr. Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of Public Affairs and Planning, writes an article for the Dallas Magazine. The report is on redefining how we discuss homelessness. "Changing the Narrative Around Homelessness In Dallas." Dr. Lebovits emphasizes the current homelessness situation in Dallas. And when she moved to the city, she saw firsthand how housing availability has declined because most do not have a path to livable wages and several other reasons. "The number of people in this region who are experiencing homelessness and do not have any form of shelter has increased significantly in the last several years.
Diane Allen, FASLA, director and professor of landscape architecture, was featured in the Landscape Architecture Magazine for her candid discussion in “Hear their Voices: Inspiring Stories from Women Leaders in Design Education” ASLA's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Webinar convened women of color leaders in architecture and landscape architecture education to discuss networks of mentorship, camaraderie, and solidarity.
Dr. Im Joowoon (Associate Professor of Public Affairs) , Alan Klein (Director of the IUS) and Ph.D student Amruta Amol Sakalker received grant funding from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities Education Grant (NITC) . They received $25,287 for their project which focuses on developing GIS training and lectures to address issues concerning transportation, and environmental justice for high school students who set their career goals within STEAM education, and also concerning urban planning, architecture, and landscape architecture.
Hannah Lebovits, assistant public affairs and planning professor at UT Arlington, spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the city of Arlington’s need for more housing. She said city leaders should prioritize housing that is both affordable to an array of residents and conducive to economic development in order to attract and maintain residents. Arlington officials and candidates are considering ways to meet the city’s housing demand while avoiding overbuilding.
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez and Charles McBride snagged two Research Enhancement Proposals (REP) for 2021-22. Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez received support for her project-- "Sustainability, Water, Energy Use in Informal Communities in Mexico City." And Charles McBride also received support for his project “Passive House Advocacy and Implementation in Hot and Humid Climates.”
Taner Özdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, is announced as the new Vice President for Research & Creative Scholarship for the Council for Education and Landscape Architecture (CELA). Özdil is looking forward to fulfilling CELA's mission to encourage, support, and further education in the field of landscape architecture specifically related to teaching, research, scholarship, and public service. The goal is to continue recruiting and retaining underrepresented students to landscape architecture programs, helping mentor graduates into professional life and leadership, and fostering an inclusive and welcoming practice environment.
Diane Jones Allen, Kathryn Holliday, Austin Allen and Julia Lindgren featured on the EurekAlert.org for their work with communities to combat environmental racism and urban sprawl.
A team from the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs is one of two nationwide to win a $40,000 SOM Foundation Research Prize to create a design playbook for Black settlements in North Texas, U.S. Fed News and Targeted News Service reported.
CAPPA doctoral student Shadin Nimery and Dr. Hannah Lebovits, a CAPPA Assistant Professor of Public Affairs are featured in the American Political Science Association (APSA). Their article makes a compelling case for layering in qualitative historical data in contemporary urban politics research. The authors emphasized the need for more discussion about historical redlining efforts, particularly as localities move towards an electronically driven “Smart Cities” future.
Dr. Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor of Public Affairs, has been selected a second time as the winner of the UTA President’s Award for Transformative Online Education. Dr. Bezboruah was recognized in 2017 for this same award. In addition, in 2020, she was awarded the 2020 Teaching Excellence Award by the U.S. Distance Learning Association. Winners of UT Arlington’s 2021 teaching honors will be recognized at the upcoming Spring Meeting of the University Faculty and Associates in April, 2021
Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of public affairs at CAPPA, won an award at the Conference of Minority Public Administrators annual conference. Hannah’s paper, titled “Encouraging Social Sustainability in Communities in-Transition - A Restorative Justice Approach,” won the second-place “Best Paper” award and a $1000 cash prize. The paper argues that cities can best engage in stabilization and revitalization efforts by tackling disinvestment head on, giving power back to those who have been marginalized by regional growth and sprawl. Hannah presented her paper to a live, online audience at the February 2020 conference, as well, where she received positive feedback from the audience.
Dennis Chiessa received first place in the 'Real Stories' design competition for his proposal "The Library of Babel." The competition was to design a virtual environment to share stories of people experiencing homelessness. Chiessa says it was inspired by "Jorge Luis Borges the Library of Babel. The gallery is "the universe (which others call the library) is compLibrary an indefinite, perhaps the infinite number of hexagonal galleries."
"The project is a device for the fortunate to encounter the harsh realities of others in a labyrinth. The format of the competition liberates the architect from the physical world's realities; materials are meaningless, gravity is useless, the scale is ambiguous, the only thing that matters is the library's collection- the story of each individual and how we confront it."
Congratulations to Diane Jones Allen, Program Director and Professor of Landscape Architecture, Kate Holliday (Professor of Architecture and Director of the Dillon Center), and Austin Allen (Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Architecture), who just received the SOM Foundation Research Prize on behalf of UTA. This annual prize is only awarded to two institutions nationwide., and we are honored to have them represent CAPPA and the (School of Architecture). Each will receive a grant of $40,000 to conduct original research.
The Research Prize was created in 2018 to cultivate new ideas and meaningful research with the goal of addressing critical issues of our time. This year’s topic, “Examining Social Justice in Urban Contexts,” encouraged applicants to explore and identify long-term policies, immediate actions, and comprehensive plans have the potential to shape a more equitable and sustainable future. The proposal is titled “Reclaiming Black Settlements: A Design Playbook for Historic Communities in the Shadow of Sprawl” led by Diane Jones Allen.
Professors Kate Holliday, Austin Allen, Diane Jones Allen, and Julia Lindgren were recently named as 2021 grantees by the Dallas Chamber of Commerce for their research proposal: Design Justice Initiative in Joppa." The UTA David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture is leading a Design Justice Initiative in Joppa, working in close partnership with the South Central Civic League (SCCL), on research, planning, engagement, and implementation of art installations, design-build projects, and research studios that bring students, faculty, and community members together. Work will be led by Assistant Professor Julia Lindgren, UTA School of Architecture. The DRC funds support a UTA graduate research assistant, materials, community workshops, and subcontractor work of the pavilion, in the amount of $20,000."
The IUS recognizes Alan Klein (Director of the IUS) along side Amruta Sakalker(UPPP Ph.D. student), and Meghna Tare (Director of the Institute for Sustainability and Global Impact, UTA) for submitting their project “Upper Trinity River Water Quality Report Card” for the 2020 RCE North Texas Award. They received Honorable Mention for contributing to SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation. This award is given annually to RCEs that have made outstanding contributions to address local, sustainable development challenges in their regions.
Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, and Beth Piwkowski, a history archivist in Cleveland, wrote an op-ed on The Forward. An opinion piece in The Forward said that the attack on the Capitol by President Trump supporters was entirely predictable. The Forward is an American news media organization for a Jewish-American audience.
Quorum Architects has added Dayoung “Day” Son to its architectural design staff, Day joins the multi-family housing design team as Architectural Intern. day received her Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington in May of 2021.
Joseph Chacon (Master of Public Administration) has been named chief of the Austin Police Department, Patch reported. Chacon served as interim chief since March 2021.
Shane Pace(Master of City and Regional Planning) had been named president of the Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation in Jacksonville, Texas.
The Jacksonville reported.
UTA alumnus Alfred Vidaurri Jr. (M.ARCH) became the president of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and was featured in a Q&A with Texas Architect. Vidaurri is a vice president of Freese and Nichols, an engineering, planning, and consulting firm with several offices throughout the southern United States. He works and lives in the City of Fort Worth.
SUPA graduate student Evelyn Mayo is selected for the ULI/Randall Lewis Health Mentorship Program. Evelyn Mayo is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning. She is the Co-Founder of RAYO planning, a non-profit planning firm that works with low-income neighborhoods to address environmental justice, fair housing and community development issues caused by racist zoning and land use policies.
This program supports learning and sharing about health and real estate among graduate students and ULI members. In addition to being matched with a ULI Full Member mentor based on professional interests, mentees earned the opportunity to attend the 2021 ULI Fall Meeting in Chicago and the 2022 ULI Spring Meeting in San Diego, where they will experience Product Council meetings and health-focused programming alongside their mentors.
Brannon Heake’s ( BS ARCH, 2017 and M.ARCH (Path B), 2019) promotion to Professional Designer was announced by BOKA Powell. BOKA Powell as a leader in creating innovative, inspiring solutions in building design, interior design, and land planning.
James Hubbard is the new city manager in Jacksonville, Texas, the Jacksonville Progress and Yahoo! News reported. Hubbard’s first official day as city manager was Friday, Aug. 13. Hubbard earned a master's in public administration and a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice/criminology from UT Arlington.
Dr. Malcolm K. Oliver has been appointed Dean of the John S. Watson School of Public Service per the Trenton Daily news release. Dr. Oliver earned his PhD in Public and Urban Administration from the University of Texas, Arlington in 2012.
Brian Joseph Renteria earned his Master of Public Administration at UTA in 2010. Renteria works at Texas Wesleyan University and recently became a member of "BoardBuild" to participate in community stewardship. Renteria has never heard of BoardBuild before but liked the idea of building strong communities.
Amina Taj, Assoc. AIA, LEED Green Associate was hired by Tesla in July 2021 for the position of Architectural Designer. Ms. Taj was highly involved during her time at UTA as a 2015 GTA for Lee Wright and a GRA for IUS in 2016 until she earned her MARCH Degree in 2016.
Jes Prince, Chief Deputy Clerk for Jefferson County, (MPA, CCIM 2017 Public Admin MPA (NT) AO) announced her intent to run for the seat in the fall. Prince was hired to the deputy’s position in March in this article “Prince has a Master’s of Public Administration and Urban Development from University of Texas Arlington. She attended Lamar University for her undergraduate degree and has held positions at the city of Beaumont and the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission” Prince is a member of NAACP, HPAC and TASI. She completed Leadership Beaumont in 2013, was recognized with the Outstanding Leadership Award by Ubi Caritas in 2014 and was awarded the 40 Under 40 Designation in 2015
Alexia Christine recently graduated Spring 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, won First Place in the Commercial Student Design Category at 2021 Celebrating Design TX by the American Society of Interior Designers! This award recognizes the NEXT Steelcase Project completed in Fall 2020 at Interior Design studio with Dr. Barbara Marini, Director of Interior Design.
Brian Joseph Renteria, Masters of Public Administration alumni, currently works for Texas Wesleyan University and has recently became a member of BoardBuild. Renteria previously devoted 15 years of service to public education, which has provided numerous experiences and refined various skills that has allowed him to participate in community stewardship as a member of the Board of Directors for BoardBuild.
Alexia Koltes, an Interior Design alumni, was recognized by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and awarded first-place in the ASID 2021 Dallas Design Ovation Student Awards for Commercial Design. Koltes worked with Steelcase products to create an innovative, human-centric, and evidence-based solution for post-COVID workspaces. Koltes’ Steelcase project was completed in Fall 2020 with the help of Dr. Barbara Marini in the CAPPA studio.
Maria Rodriguez (Interior Design 2021) has been announced as the second-place winner of the 2021 FORM Student Innovation Competition. The FORM competition allowed both architecture and design students to submit innovative furniture designs for an opportunity to win cash prizes and display their work at NeoCon 2021. Approximately 244 entries were submitted under the “Design for the Next Generation Theme” from more than 35 universities across the United States and Canada. The theme called for students to interpret designs for a variety of post-pandemic commercial settings. Maria Rodriguez recognized the significance of today’s employees engaging in video calls more than ever, which influenced her to design the “Portal” as an all-encompassing workspace set up. The design strategically provides ample lighting and writable surfacing for notes. Additionally, the semi-enclosed space ensures safe social distancing between colleagues.
Theresa O'Donnell (2005 MPA) has been appointed the City of Vancouver's new director of planning and general manager of planning and general manager of planning, urban design, and sustainability.
Timothy D. Strucely, 1982 BS UTA Architecture graduate AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, FMA, was recently hired by Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) as a program manager. He will be responsible for planning, executing and finalizing the design and construction of K-12 school facilities and higher education projects as well as being responsible for expanding the firm’s program management services in these markets. Strucely has 30 years of experience as a program manager and architect. He has managed massive capital bond programs from inception to completion, both as an owner’s representative and consultant and has previously served the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) as executive director of construction. Prior to that, he served two other school districts in Nevada and Texas in senior leadership roles.
Dr. Linda Plank, 2002 UTA Public and Urban Admin - PHD alumnae, serves as a clinical associate professor and was recently appointed Dean of Baylor's Louise Herrington School of Nursing. While serving as a nurse at Baylor University Medical Center, Dr. Plank received her MS in Nursing from Texas Women’s University and then received her PhD from University of Texas at Arlington, Texas in 2002. She is nationally certified by the ANCC as a Nurse Executive Advanced (NEA-BC).
