About

Zaida was selected to join AIA Dallas and the Architecture and Design Foundation as Executive Director in January of 2020. Her experience in both the public and private sectors, as an architect, owner, consultant, and advocate, as well as her engagement and leadership in diverse boards and committees at AIA Dallas, the Texas Society of Architects, and AIA National, and other non-profit organizations bring a unique perspective to the role, and a blend of skills and knowledge that will continue to advance the mission of both organizations for the benefit of the members, the public and the community.

She previously led the architectural practice for the Huitt-Zollars' Dallas office and was sustainability manager for the firm. Prior to that, she spent over two decades at the City of Dallas, primarily as Assistant Director of Public Works over facilities. She is a registered architect and sustainability advocate with over 35 years of experience in design, construction, contracting and public policy. Under her tenure, over $800 million worth of diverse public facility projects were implemented in Dallas. Zaida directed the implementation of the city’s green building program which has been recognized by the USGBC for instituting Dallas and north Texas sustainable sensibility.

A founding member and 2010 chair of the USGBC North Texas Chapter, she was appointed to GSA’s Office of High Performance Green Building's Inaugural Advisory Committee from 2011 to 2013. She served on the board of AIA Dallas from 2014 to 2018, and was President in 2016. In 2019, she served as the Architecture and Design Foundation Board President and AIA Dallas Fellows Committee Co-Chair, Texas Architects Committee Executive Trustee, and as VP of Advocacy for the Texas Society of Architects Board of Directors, a role she will continue in 2020. She currently serves as an AIA National Strategic Council At-Large Member, and is a member of the AIA National Board's Government Advocacy Committee.

Her work championing green building codes in Dallas has been recognized with a BOAT 2008 award of excellence, a 2009 CLIDE Award in public policy; the 2014 CoreNet Global Southwest Chapter and the 2014 CoreNet Global Sustainability Leadership Awards. She received a 2014 Pillar Award and a 2016 Luna Award as Outstanding Professional of the Year from the Hispanic Contractor's Association. In 2019, Zaida was recognized with the Kessler Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Dallas Planning Council at their Urban Design Awards. She was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in January of 2012.

In her role as Managing Director of the Architecture and Design Exchance (AD EX), Katie is responsible for driving growth and expanding exhibitions, tours, K-12 programming, community outreach, and scholarships. In addition to overseeing AD EX programming and outreach, Katie leads the charge in establishing AD EX as a learning laboratory and hub for all things architecture, as well as bridging AIA Dallas and the Architecture and Design Foundation together so they support each other in areas where community engagement is part of the mission. She is also engaged heavily in community relations and ongoing partner development, with the goal of fostering deeper and more valuable connections within the design community and throughout North Texas.

Previously, Katie spent ten years at AIA Dallas, most recently as Communications and Government Relations Director, overseeing the communications, branding, public relations, advocacy, and awards programs of the organization. Katie continues to work on the Chapter side, most notably as Managing Editor of Columns magazine.

She holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design with a minor in Art & Architectural History from Texas A&M University. Katie is a graduate of the AIA Dallas 2013 Emerging Leaders and 2019 Advanced Leadership Programs, received 2014 and 2020 AIA Dallas Presidential Citation awards, and is the 2020 AIA Dallas Associate Member of the Year. She is currently a board member of the Greater Dallas Planning Council and previously served on the City of Dallas Development Advisory Board. Katie has spoken at multiple national conferences on topics related to social media and grassroots advocacy. She enjoys being "mama" to a toddler, traveling, reading, working on her MCM home, and exploring the city.

Elizabeth Jones is the Marketing Manager at AIA Dallas/ AD EX. She has over a decade of experience working for architecture/urbanism non-profit organizations. Elizabeth is passionate about programs, events and practices that build community engagement with the architecture and planning fields. She specializes in communicating the connection to and impact of these fields on the communities they serve, our city and the environment.

A native of Arkansas, Elizabeth moved to Dallas in October of 2010. She worked for bcWORKSHOP and had both hands-on and capacity building roles to provide design services for underserved communities and neighborhoods in the Dallas, Houston and Rio Grande Valley areas. In 2018 she took on public relations and marketing for the Trinity Park Conservancy, where she advanced the design, fundraising, and community engagement goals of the design of Harold Simmons Park, a 200 acre and $200M public works effort along the Trinity River Corridor.

Elizabeth is a graduate of the E. Fay Jones College of Architecture at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She enjoys cycling, running, and photography in her spare time.

Liane is a customer service professional with over seven years of experience in the hospitality industry. Her passion is photography and over the past several years, as a freelance photographer, she has been commissioned to photograph for Klyde Warren Park and the Sammons Center for the Arts events. She has also assisted AIA Dallas as a contributing photographer for Columns Magazine. She graduated from the Art Institute of Dallas with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Photography, focusing in Architectural Photography. In her spare time, Liane enjoys cooking, spending time with family and friends, and thrift/antique shopping.

Preston joins AIA Dallas after gaining more than three years of experience in the hospitality industry. He recently graduated from University of North Texas with a degree in consumer experience management. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports, traveling around the world, drawing, and spending time with family and friends.