Willis retired from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department in 2019, following a 27-year career in public service. He was appointed Director of the department in 2013 and managed the fifth-largest park system in America, overseeing 1,250 employees and an annual operating budget of $99 million. Willis graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Architecture. He had a passionate interest in the historic buildings and sites throughout the Dallas park system and was directly involved in the preservation or restoration of numerous historic structures, including the department’s WPA-era buildings and landscapes and the Art Deco structures at Fair Park constructed for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. During his tenure with Dallas Parks, the department was recognized with approximately 50 local, state and national preservation awards. In 2008 he was elevated to the College of Fellows in the American Institute of Architects. Willis lives in Mineral Wells, where he has established a consulting practice focused on preservation architecture; park planning, operations and management; and interpretive planning. He also devotes much of his time to research and writing. He is the author or co-author of seven books on Texas architecture and history. He currently serves on the board of the Museum of Texas Art and is a member of the Steering Committee overseeing a master plan for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kalita Humphreys Theater in Dallas. He also serves as the Chair of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture at UT Arlington.

Sue graduated from Southern Methodist University before pursuing graduate studies in theoretical mathematics and statistics at the University of Southern California. In the 1970s, she worked for the Los Angeles Times and for the international firm of Haug Associates. She became VP of DRI, Inc., later absorbed by the marketing giant WPP, London. Sue has long supported arts, nature conservation, and historic preservation initiatives. In California, she founded the Glendale Youth Orchestra and led several public preservation projects, including the Eastlake Glendale Doctors’ House, the Greco-Egyptian Alex Theatre, the Queen Anne Goode House, and the Craftsman Lanterman House. In 2003, Sue did original research to write Cass County’s Courthouse Master Plan, authored the THC grant application for funding of that 1861 courthouse, and worked with donors to raise the required matching funds. She has received state level preservation awards in both states, including Preservation Texas’ Clara Driscoll Award for 18 projects in her home town of Linden. Blessed as a mother and grandmother, Sue also continues to enjoy hands-on restoration work and investigative research on selected history topics. In 2019, she completed restoration of the 1916 Manly Baker House, a National Register property in North Carolina, which is now her part time residence.

Charlene is a past president of Preservation Texas and retired as executive director of Historic Mesquite at the end of 2019 after 24 years. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas (public administration) and has served as chairman of both the Kaufman County Historical Commission and Friends of the Kaufman County Historical Commission as well as marker chairman of the Dallas County Historical Commission. She was a founding member of the Texas Lakes Trail board, where she served as treasurer. Charlene has consulted on a variety of preservation issues, including the drafting of preservation ordinances, creating outreach programs, working with city officials, preserving archives, photos and textiles, and writing collections management policies. She is a graduate of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Leadership Training and of the Texas Historical Commission’s Winedale Museum Seminar.

Derrick is the Director of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, a beautiful 15-acre park located in Huntsville. Previously, he served as the Curator of Education at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and the Superintendent of the Farmers Branch Historical Park. A lifelong educator, Derrick has a BS in Elementary Education and an MA in History, both from Sam Houston State University. He has always been an advocate for hands-on and interactive programming and believes that being able to touch, taste, listen to and even smell things from the past helps people to connect with our ancestors, learn from the past and apply those lessons to today. An accomplished photographer, Derrick’s work has been featured in The Texas Forts Trail – a photobook done in collaboration with the Texas Forts Trail region. As such, you will frequently find Derrick out photographing his favorite subjects – historic landscapes and structures.

Frank is an accomplished attorney, originally from El Paso. A graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Army's Berlin Brigade from 1968-1970. Frank is licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of Texas, as well as numerous other courts, including the United States Supreme Court. He has dedicated much of his career to commercial real estate and construction law, with a focus on litigation and regulatory issues. His practice also includes subspecialty in the law of religious organizations. Frank’s legal achievements include leading the recent efforts to protect historic buildings in El Paso’s Duranguito neighborhood from demolition. Currently residing in Austin, Frank has a keen interest in promoting the value of historic preservation in Texas.

A graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, Allison has dedicated her professional career and volunteer efforts to protecting the natural and historic resources of Texas. Currently serving as Of Counsel at the law firm of Elder Bray & Bankler in San Antonio, her legal practice focuses on conservation easement matters as well as traditional real estate transactions. Allison previously served as the Director of Legal Services for the San Antonio River Authority from 2015 to 2023. Her experience also includes roles as Vice-President and General Counsel for the Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Senior Attorney at Braun & Gresham, and Executive Director of Green Spaces Alliance.

Max is Associate Professor of Art History at The University of Texas at El Paso. He received his BA from UC-Berkeley and his PhD in art history from Columbia University. He completed his dissertation on Italian civic architecture and urbanism in the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance and publishes regularly in his field. In addition, he conducts research on the architectural history of El Paso and the surrounding region and has two books under contract. He served for several years as Vice-Chair of the El Paso County Historical Commission, is currently Vice-Chair of The Trost Society, and is co-founder of the El Paso History Alliance, a virtual cultural community with more than 60,000 followers online. Max has been a leading activist and litigant in the fight to save Duranguito, the oldest neighborhood in El Paso, and he is also co-chairing the effort to restore Sacred Heart Church in the city’s historic Segundo Barrio. He helped lead the effort to establish the Segundo Barrio National Register Historic District, which happened in November 2021, and has long been working to create the Downtown El Paso National Register Historic District.

Kate lives near Kyle (Hays County) on a ranch along the Blanco River. She is the chairman of the Ascension Seton Hays Foundation board and served as chairman of the Hays County Historical Commission from 1999 to 2022. As chairman, the commission listed numerous properties to the National Register of Historic Places, erected many Historical Markers, and produced over a dozen historical documentaries on the county’s history. She played an instrumental role in the restoration of the Katherine Anne Porter Childhood Home in Kyle, the Old Hays County Jail in San Marcos, the Winters-Wimberley House in Wimberley, and the Kyle Depot. She has served on the boards of the Wimberley Institute of Cultures, the Kyle Train Depot Committee, Old Town Kyle Advocates, and Preservation Associates, Inc. – a county-wide nonprofit association devoted to the preservation of historic and cultural resources. She also founded the Historic Bridge Foundation, a national nonprofit devoted to the preservation of historic bridges across the United States. She is the 2010 and 2020 recipient of the John Ben Shepperd Leadership Award.

David is the third of six generations of native Texans. His grandfather, Mike was a pioneer in Tex Mex cuisine and opened the first El Fenix Restaurant in 1918. El Fenix is the oldest chain of Mexican Restaurants in the United States.

David has over 50 years’ experience in the service industry in business development and operations management. In addition to his previous involvement with the family business, he has held executive positions with several prominent restaurant firms and service management companies and is currently Regional Manager with SBM Management Services, supporting the commercial real estate industry.

David holds a BBA from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, an MBA from Chadwick University and a J.D. from LaSalle University. He served as Director, President and Chairman of the Board of the Texas Historical Foundation for over 15 years. He is also Chairman of the DFW Airport Interfaith Chaplaincy and serves as a Board Director of St. Paul Medical Clinic, Bishop Dunne Catholic School, Catholic Charities of Dallas Archangels, and Diocese of Dallas Advisory Board.

Serena was appointed by the City of Brownsville to its Heritage Council. During her service on the council, she became familiar with Brownsville’s historic buildings and led various efforts to preserve significant neighborhoods and structures. It was her service on the council that generated her interest in preservation efforts throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Serena received her undergraduate degree from Sweet Briar College where she studied in Spain during her junior year. She then graduated from South Texas College of Law Houston and is a Texas attorney. Serena is active in the South Texas community and serves on various non-profit boards.

Evan is the executive director of Preservation Texas. Prior to joining PT in 2014, he served for four years as executive director of the Preservation Society of Charleston (2010-2014) and served for six years as executive director of Historic Beaufort Foundation (2004-2010), both in South Carolina. He is a graduate of The University of Texas School of Law (2000) and the University of Richmond (1997). In 2011, he was the inaugural recipient of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s American Express Aspire Award, recognizing an emerging national leader in the preservation field. He was selected to participate in the 2013 Attingham Summer School for the study of English country houses.

Conor is Preservation Texas’s endangered Properties Manager and Northeast Texas Program Officer. He is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) and worked as a high school social studies teacher for five years before earning a master’s degree in public history from SFASU. In 2017, he spent the summer in southeastern Alaska with HistoriCorps restoring an Adirondack-style cabin built by the CCC in the Tongass National Forest. Here he developed a passion for hands-on preservation and learning about vernacular buildings and construction methods. From 2018-2021, he worked for the city of Bloomington, Indiana as the Historic Preservation Program Manager where he facilitated local preservation ordinances and applied design review to hundreds of projects impacting historic buildings throughout twelve local historic districts. He worked in cultural resource management from 2021-2022 as an architectural historian, where he made numerous NRHP eligibility assessments and participated in drafting and implementing Programmatic and Memorandum Agreements for projects involving adverse effects to culturally-significant properties.

Sam is Preservation Texas's Programs Coordinator. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Environmental Design, and received her master's degree in Preservation Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. With a background in graphic design, Sam develops our print and online communications, manages our social media channels, and coordinates our membership programs. She also provides comprehensive administrative support, event planning, and research aimed at furthering Preservation Texas's mission.

Victor is Preservation Texas’s West Texas Program Officer. A native of El Paso, Victor is passionate about preserving local cultural heritage. He is an alumnus of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where he held full-time administrative staff positions from 2020-2024. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a BA in art history from UTEP. Victor also served for two years on El Paso’s Historic Landmark Commission and completed internships with The Trost Society and the Texas Historical Commission’s Division of Architecture and Community Heritage Development Division in Austin. While with The Trost Society, Victor was involved in mapping all known buildings by leading El Paso-based architect Henry C. Trost (1860-1933).

Jesús is Preservation Texas’s Architectural Programs Manager and also serves as the Central Texas Program Officer. Jesús has over fifteen years of local, national and international experience managing preservation programs in the private, government, and non-profit sectors. He has previously served as South Texas Field Officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Project Manager for the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Sites Division, and most recently, as Project Manager at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Based in San Marcos, Jesús serves as a first point of contact for members and stakeholders in the Central Texas region, and importantly, he oversees all aspects of the rehabilitation and restoration of Preservation Texas properties statewide.

1986 – Jim Bratton (Dallas)

1987 – Rick Meyer (Austin)

1988 – Rick Meyer (Austin)

1989 – Mike Davis

1990 – Jill Souter (San Antonio)

1991 – Jill Souter (San Antonio)

1992 – Margie Elliott (Houston)

1993 – Margie Elliott (Houston)

1994 – Margie Elliott (Houston)

1995 – Betty Massey (Galveston)

1996 – Betty Massey (Galveston)

1997 – Janet Francis (San Antonio)

1998 – Patrick Heath (Boerne)

1999 – Patrick Heath (Boerne)

2000 – Patrick Heath (Boerne)

2001 – Lynn Vogt (Dallas)

2002 – Lynn Vogt (Dallas)

2003 – Ron Emrich

2004 – Elizabeth Miller Grindstaff

2005 – Elizabeth Miller Grindstaff

2006 – Elizabeth Miller Grindstaff

2007 – Libby Buuck

2008 – Libby Buuck

2009 – Libby Buuck

2010 – Susan Lassell

2011 – Jim Ray (Austin)

2012 – Jim Ray (Austin)

2013 – Charlene Orr (Mesquite)

2014 – Charlene Orr (Mesquite)

2015 – Courtney Read Hoffman (Austin)

2016 – Dwayne Jones (Galveston)

2017 – Dwayne Jones (Galveston)

2018 – Ann Benson McGlone (San Antonio)

2019 – Ann Benson McGlone (San Antonio)

2020 – Roman McAllen (Houston)

2021 - Roman McAllen (Houston)

2022 - Charles John (San Antonio)

2023 - Charles John (San Antonio)

2024 - Willis Winters (Mineral Wells)