The Texas Society of Architects has introduced the 2025 TxA Board of Directors.
Along with the president and president-elect, the board’s executive committee is made up of the treasurer, secretary, and four vice presidents.
The six officers are:
Michael E. Allex, AIA – Michael is the board’s new secretary. He is a principal at ROFA Architects in the Rio Grande Valley. He has served TxA as a Chapter Director and Vice President of Professional Development. Additionally, Mike has been a member of the Publication and Honor Awards Committees and chaired a Professional Development Task Force. Mike is deeply committed to his community where he has served as Chairman of the Board for various volunteer organizations including: The Harlingen Chamber of Commerce, Harlingen Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals, and Harlingen Zoning Board of Adjustment and Appeals.
Gabriella Bermea, AIA, NOMA – Gabriella returned to the board as the Vice President of Practice and Recognition. Gabriella is a senior associate at Perkins Eastman. She is passionate about community advocacy and equity efforts within the state and has served in leadership roles with AIA National, Texas Society of Architects, Pflugerville Education Foundation, NCARB, and the ACE Mentor Program of America.
Samantha Markham, AIA –Samantha returned to the board as the Vice President of Communications. She is the North Texas K-12 Market Leader for Stantec and also serves as a project manager for K-12 clients around DFW. Samantha has served in multiple roles at TxA and AIA Dallas, including the Young Architect Representative for Texas, TxA Chapter Director for Dallas, TxA’s Education Outreach Chair, and AIA Dallas Director of Education.
Laura Sachtleben, FAIA – Laura is the Vice President of Advocacy. She is a Director at Landscape Forms and is deeply passionate about education, resilience, and advocacy. She has chaired multiple TxA committees including the Government Affairs Committee and the School Safety Subcommittee and served locally as the AIA Houston chapter president in 2023.
Maurice Thames, AIA, NOMA – Mauriceis the Vice President of Professional Development. Maurice is a principal at Stantec in Plano. He has been an active member of the TxA EDI Committee and has held leadership positions with NOMA Dallas Chapter and the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) NTX Chapter. Additionally, he serves as a TAC Executive Trustee for Dallas. Maurice is also a mentor in the ACE Mentor of America Plano/Frisco Chapter.
Dana Walton, AIA – Dana joins the board as treasurer. She is the principal and founder of Design Peridot in Amarillo. Her past roles with TxA include serving as a chapter director, and as a member of the Texas Architectural Foundation Board, Finance Committee, and the Public Outreach Task Force. Locally, her involvement includes serving as Vice President of Development for the AIA Amarillo chapter, to impactful roles in community boards including the City of Amarillo Construction Advisory and Appeals Board, Downtown Design and Advisory Board, and the West Texas A&M University College of Fine Arts and Humanities Board.
Each board member serves two-year terms. For more information, visit https://magazine.texasarchitects.org.
