We have been quiet for a couple of months, but for good reason.
Builders Without Borders has just grown its board for the first time, with two new members!
 Robert “Rue Rob” Jackson is a 5th generation Houstonian, 3rd Ward resident, a passionate leader dedicated to strengthening neighborhoods and expanding opportunities for long-standing residents. His work centers on guiding teams, coordinating projects across multiple metro regions, and building effective relationships with organizations working to improve local living conditions.His experience includes fundraising, strategic planning, financial management, with a passion for advocating and developing creative, sustainable strategies, along with guiding programs from early concept through final delivery. Robert excels at turning research into clear summaries for decision-makers and identifying practical steps that help neighborhoods remain steady as they evolve. His background in communications, analysis, and public-facing engagement brings a steady hand to our organizational operations and team coordination. He is committed to supporting emerging talent, increasing local participation in planning efforts, and helping neighborhoods strengthen their economic and social foundations. |
 Alvaro Lozada, AIA, is a licensed architect and urban designer serving as a Project Architect at Moody Nolan in Houston. His work spans civic, cultural, and park-focused developments, with a strong emphasis on design quality, technical coordination, and long-term neighborhood benefit.Drawing from a heritage rooted in generations of skilled builders and material artisans, Alvaro brings a deep appreciation for structures that respond to their setting. His approach is shaped by a commitment to designs that feel grounded in local conditions via materials, layouts, and spatial patterns that reflect the character and climate of the region. This perspective, influenced by traditions of brickwork, courtyard systems, and craft-based construction methods, guides his goal of shaping places that serve both present needs and future growth. Alvaro serves as Co-Chair of the Urban Design Committee at AIA Houston, contributing thought leadership on how cities can strengthen their physical environments through clear design frameworks and collaborative planning. He holds a European Master in Urbanism from UPC Barcelona and KU Leuven, along with a Bachelor of Architecture from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. Across all his work, Alvaro aims to create built environments that encourage connection, support daily life, and reflect the values of the communities they serve. |
| Our Volunteer Corp of Designers | |
 Alexandria Nicole Leos is a Houston native, architectural designer, and recent University of Houston graduate. She completed her B.Arch with a minor in Art in 2024. Her foundation in fine art influences her approach to design. For Nicole, architecture is art you can inhabit, so the work is personal. Through architecture school and studying abroad, she observed how design affects people and their communities.This year she obtained her LEED Green Associate accreditation, furthering her understanding of sustainability in building and community health. Having grown up in a Houston flood zone, she has first-hand experience with the importance of resilient design. Safe and sustainable living is an essential need, not a privilege. She looks forward to learning more through this work, eventually graduate school, and one day becoming a licensed architect. Most importantly, she seeks to create projects that leave a lasting impact wherever she has the opportunity to contribute. Beyond architecture, Nicole enjoys sightseeing, painting, and caring for her 3 dogs and 2 cats. |
 Abigail Thurton is an undergraduate student studying architecture at Texas A&M University and a 2021 Yale Young Global Scholar. With family roots in Central America, she is drawn to projects that address affordable housing, disaster relief, wellness centers, and spaces of refuge. These priorities reflect both personal history and a growing commitment to architecture as a tool for equity and care.Abigail brings a global perspective and a grounded sense of purpose to her work. Her view is shaped by questions of resilience, social responsibility, and what it truly means to design with communities rather than for them. She is especially interested in how architecture can restore dignity in contexts of displacement and how emerging professionals can rethink extractive building norms from within. She pursues every opportunity to engage with design that emphasizes impact over aesthetics. She aims to grow as both a listener and a leader, bridging theory and practice in service of others. As a volunteer, she looks forward to building real-world experience, responding to ground-level constraints, collaborating with community members, and helping shape places that reflect the values of the people who live there. |
Builders Without Borders 