Seven former students named for the College of Architecture Harold L. Adams ’61, Outstanding Alumni Award

Over three decades, Jonathan Brinsden has applied a passion for real estate to become a renowned industry leader and developer of award-winning projects. After leading the growth and transformation of two companies, he joined the Irvine Company, the largest private real estate company in the United States and best known for creating the cities of Irvine and Newport Beach. 

Brinsden serves as group president of commercial properties at the Irvine Company and is a member of the company’s Executive Management Committee and Investment Committee. He is responsible for the leadership, strategy and performance of the Apartment Development, Office, Retail and Corporate Business Properties divisions. The 65 million-square-foot portfolio includes Orange County, San Diego, West Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Chicago and New York City properties. Brinsden previously served as chief executive officer of Midway and as president and CEO of Hamm Corporation. 

Brinsden is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the past chairman of ULI Americas, and a former global board director, trustee, and ULI Foundation governor. He has led nonprofit organizations focused on civic leadership, parks and green space, and homelessness, including roles as former chairman of Central Houston and Search Homeless Services and vice chairman of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. 

He has helped promote real estate education through the Texas A&M University Development Industry Advisory Council, the Association of Former Students (Endowed Century Club), and as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at Texas A&M University, Rice University and the University of Houston. 

Brinsden holds three degrees from Texas A&M University, including a master’s degree in land and real estate development (1994) and bachelor’s degrees in construction science and environmental design (1992). 

Brent A. Brown is an architect who works to advance the public interest. He credits his parents for instilling an empathetic work ethic and Texas A&M University for introducing him to the power of design. His work has included affordable architecture, community development, cultural placemaking, city planning, urban design, disaster recovery and public green space initiatives. Through his leadership and commitment to equity, he built one of the nation’s leading public interest design practices, helped municipal governments prioritize design in decision-making, and established the foundation for some of Texas’ largest new public parks. Recognizing the limitations of architectural practice in overcoming historical inequities in our cities and towns, Brown founded buildingcommunity WORKSHOP to unite design, community engagement and advocacy for social and economic justice. As a nonprofit creative practice, bcWORKSHOP empowers positive change within communities across Texas while serving as a training ground for hundreds of young architects. 

He also started and directed the Dallas CityDesign Studio, an embedded creative practice within city government, shaping billions of dollars of infrastructure, land use and private development. Complementing this work, Brown led the Trinity Park Conservancy in establishing a 100-year transformative vision while raising more than $100 million toward a new park on Dallas’ Trinity River. Brown continues practicing architecture, counseling civic leaders and advocating for more equitable places through design. 

Brown has been recognized as a winner of numerous local, national and international awards for his exceptional architecture and community development contributions. Notable among his accolades is the Rudy Bruner Award Silver Medal, a testament to his innovative and impactful work. His inclusion in Copper-Hewitt’s exhibition, “By the People: Designing a Better America,” further underscores his influence and the significance of his work. 

Brown resides in Dallas with his partner, Julia; teenage son, Elliott; and their two dogs, Kanga and Roo. 

Steve Fitzpatrick graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design (1978). He completed his master’s degree in architecture from Rice University (1981) while working for Charles Tapley Associates in Houston. 

He and his wife moved to Tyler, Texas, in 1982 to begin making a difference. Starting his firm in 1986, Fitzpatrick built a practice based on “vision, relationships and trust.” This occurs within the firm, with clients and the community. With trademark enthusiasm, Fitzpatrick has advocated for better design and improved quality of life in the city and region, leading by example. This leadership has allowed Fitzpatrick to become a trusted voice in the community. 

Fitzpatrick’s influence extends beyond his public advocacy. He also has committed to mentoring the next generation of architects and fostering leadership within his firm and the community. With a team of 30 in a city the size of Tyler, his firm is making a significant impact that will shape the city’s future for generations. This dedication was recognized with the 2019 Firm Award from AIA Dallas and the 2023 Business of the Year award by the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Dr. Clarence E. (CEM) Maxwell retired as a colonel in December 2011 after a distinguished career in the U.S. Army. His leadership spanned roles in the U.S. and abroad, culminating in his position as dean of the world’s largest allied health academy, responsible for the education and training of over 30,000 students annually. Throughout his service, he oversaw the programming, funding, design, construction, and sustainment of over 1,600 health facilities worldwide. He also served as a program manager for Army health facilities, a consultant to the Army’s surgeon general, and an expert witness before the U.S. Congress. 

In August 2007, Maxwell accepted an appointment as a Senior Executive Service (SES) member with the Air Force. As an SES member, he successfully managed one of the largest and most complex Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiatives. Over 10,000 government positions were moved between installations worldwide. A new campus was constructed for the medical training of all three services’ enlisted personnel. Brooke Army Medical Center was expanded to create the Defense Department’s largest teaching hospital. He directly oversaw the Army Corps of Engineers to complete 39 construction projects valued at over $3.8 billion. 

Maxwell has served on numerous boards, including a school board, the Army Medical Department Museum and the Army Retirement Community. In 1969, CEM helped to form the Alpha Alpha Chapter of Tau Sigma Delta at Texas A&M University. 

He was among the first to earn a doctorate in architecture from the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University (1985). His academic foundation includes a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Texas A&M University (1970) and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Baylor University (1978). 

Gary Mitchell, FAICP, is a foremost practitioner of citywide comprehensive planning, including leading a high-profile comprehensive plan for College Station in 2007-08. About 20 years apart, in 1999 and 2019, Mitchell also led significant annexation planning efforts for the city of Bryan. The latter resulted in the long-term protection of Texas A&M University’s newly established RELLIS Campus through Bryan annexing it and its surroundings. 

Mitchell is president of Kendig Keast Collaborative, a niche community planning firm based in Sugar Land that has consulted local governments in 41 states since 1982. His portfolio includes more than 60 plans – in communities ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 people – including Texas towns such as Bastrop, Kerrville and Nacogdoches. His consulting work has taken him to 20 other states in the Desert and Mountain West, Midwest, Great Lakes region, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S. 

Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin before receiving a master’s degree in urban planning from Texas A&M University in 1988. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and is a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for economics, and Tau Sigma Delta, the honor society for architecture and allied arts. In 2020, Mitchell was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. 

Mitchell has served on the College of Architecture’s Planning Professional Advisory Council since the early 2000s, recently completing a six-year term as chair. He also lectured within the college, co-teaching a plan implementation course for graduate urban planning students. 

The American Planning Association (APA) divisions have lauded 14 communities assisted by Mitchell as outstanding examples of urban planning, with awards in Illinois, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming demonstrating his versatility. He has served as a statewide and regional elected leader of APA. 

Erin K. Peavey is an award-winning architect, researcher and renowned thought leader on the power of the built environment to foster well-being and human connection. Peavey earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental design (2007) cum laude and a master’s degree in architecture with a certificate in health systems and design (2011) from Texas A&M University, where she also earned the Henry Adams Certificate of Merit for her academic work. As vice president and health and well-being design leader at global design firm HKS, Peavey helps integrate research and practice to advance design for health, combat loneliness and foster global resilience. 

She is co-lead of the Foundation for Social Connection’s 2024 report on the built environment, an industry scholar with Cornell University’s Institute for Healthy Futures, and the podcast host of “Shared Space.” Peavey is a leading voice on how design can combat isolation and foster social health. Her path-breaking work has been featured on TEDx, BBC, Architect magazine, JAMA Ethics, Bloomberg, Fast Company, and many other venues worldwide. 

While an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, she co-founded the Student Health Environments Association, which continues today. At 24, she founded and chaired the AIA Austin’s robust Architecture for Health chapter and, a few years later, served as the youngest trustee and research chair for the Academy of Architecture for Health Foundation, helping raise and award more than $200,000 for research on environments for health. 

Peavey is a tireless advocate for vulnerable people and communities, including hospital patients and communities struggling with loneliness and mental health challenges. Her training in psychology and architecture helps her advocate for mental, social and emotional well-being in design. She strongly supports interdisciplinary problem-solving and was the first architect to have a regular Psychology Today blog. She also advises the AIA Strategic Council’s Mental Health and Architecture Incubator. 

Outside of work, Peavey enjoys time with her husband and young daughter in their small Craftsman home in Old East Dallas, Texas. She is an avid swimmer and NPR listener and is always on the lookout for good local coffee shops and real talk. 

A proud native Texan and second-generation Aggie, Jim Russ is a fourth-generation principal at one of Houston’s longest-standing, privately owned engineering firms, EHRA Engineering.    

Russ began his career in civil construction soon after earning a bachelor’s degree in building construction from Texas A&M University in 1986. He moved to civil engineering in 1998, focusing on land development, municipal engineering and public infrastructure. 

Celebrating its 88th anniversary in 2024, EHRA Engineering’s legacy is one of commitment and service. As president and CEO, Russ has the honor of leading an organization of some of the industry’s most distinguished, well-respected and accomplished professionals. As a leader, Russ knows the delicate balance in a consulting services firm between team member focus and facilitating client expectations. He is committed to inspiring a company culture that emphasizes the team and the client. 

Russ has a personal policy of “giving back by paying it forward.” He is actively engaged in the growth of the region through his volunteer work for numerous civil construction and engineering industry professional organizations, political action committees, infrastructure advocacy and economic development organizations throughout the Southeast Texas region. 

Russ enjoys spending time with family and friends in his spare time, networking and serving his community. An avid supporter of Texas A&M University, he takes great pride in his involvement with the Association of Former Students, the Texas A&M Foundation, the 12th Man Foundation, the Chancellor’s Century Council, the School of Architecture, the School of Engineering, the School of Public Health and the Department of Construction Science. Of course, he also loves attending as many Texas Aggie baseball, basketball and football games as possible.