Our Board
Justin Rankin, President & Treasurer
Justin Rankin, President & Treasurer
Regional Practice Area Leader – Digital Experience Design (DXD), Gensler
Justin Rankin is a Digital Experience Design (DXD) Practice Area Leader for Gensler and Director of the Lifestyle Studio in the Austin office. With more than 20 years of experience, he leads the creation of immersive experiences that blend technology, storytelling, and the built environment across sports, hospitality, workplace, mixed-use, and retail sectors. His work has contributed to complex, award-winning projects that connect people to place in meaningful ways.
Beyond his professional work, Justin is passionate about advancing design’s role in shaping culture and community. As a board member of Design Austin and an instructor of Digital Experience Design at The University of Texas at Austin, he is committed to fostering dialogue, supporting emerging talent, and strengthening Austin’s creative ecosystem.
Veronica Castro de Barrera, AIA, LEED AP, Secretary
Veronica Castro de Barrera, AIA, LEED AP, Secretary
Founder and Principal, VCdB Architecture & Art
From volunteering for AIA Austin’s Architecture in Schools program, to co-writing a successful grant from City of Austin for urban forestry at Maplewood elementary school, to participating in the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan working group on transportation and land use, Veronica has a long history of bringing community together. The Austin American Statesman called her a “hug organizer” because she organized several events with the early pioneers of the Mueller neighborhood, asking those first residents to join hands around the lake in celebration of spring. She based the ritual on one that takes place in the small town of Bernal, in Mexico, near her hometown.
Veronica is the chair of the Austin Transit Partnership Board, created in 2020 to implement Project Connect in partnership with CapMetro, the City of Austin, and the community. In 2023, Veronica received a “Women Who Move the Nation” honor organized by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials with Secretary Pete Buttigieg. She has recently received the John V. Nyfeler, FAIA, Award for Community Service from AIA Austin.
Emily Eisenhart
Emily Eisenhart
Founder and Artist, Emily Eisenhart Studio
Emily Eisenhart is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Austin. Operating at the intersection of design and art with a formal background in cultural anthropology, she weaves research into her inspiration for motif and color palette development. Her creative practice is a mixture of brand strategy and artistic sensibility. She is steeped in creative direction and design, closely partnering with clients at all stages of a project. She has illustrated on all scales, from small portraits to 7-story-tall murals, and has designed everything from bespoke hotel wallpaper and custom textiles to vibrant residential commissions. She has collaborated with prominent national brands, local businesses, real estate developers, architects, interior designers, and individuals. She cut her teeth at world-class design firm IDEO, where she worked with Nike, Microsoft, and The Gates Foundation. As an independent artist, she has partnered with Gensler, Whole Foods, Warby Parker, YETI, SXSW, Madewell, and Austin FC, in addition to a diverse array of clients around the country and in Austin. She is the co-founder of Austin-based all-female artist collective Broad Studios, often opening its doors to the community for workshops, events, and markets.
Libby Gillen, IIDA, NOMA
Libby Gillen, IIDA, NOMA
Vice President, Design Segment at Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering
Libby Gillen’s early love of fine arts led her to pursue an interior design degree from Syracuse University. She began her career as a designer at John Hancock headquarters, and then served in several top firms between Boston and Chicago. Moving to the manufacturing side with Tarkett, she spent 13 years as an account executive in both Chicago and Austin, before being appointed vice president of architecture and design. In both these roles over the last 17 years with Tarkett, Libby has used her design, marketing, and product knowledge to consult with A&D clients and help them find appropriate flooring solutions for every space. Her unwavering passion for sustainable and people-friendly design has supported both the internal Tarkett organization and its customers in focusing on their health and wellness initiatives. As a member of professional organizations such as IIDA, Chief, NOMA, and Dignity in Design, Libby’s values and beliefs drive her pursuit of continuing education and service to the industry.
Michael Hsu, FAIA, IIDA, NOMA
Michael Hsu, FAIA, IIDA, NOMA
Founder and Principal, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Michael Hsu, FAIA, IIDA is the founder and principal of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (MHOA), a fully integrated architecture and interior design firm. MHOA was founded in 2005 and employs 85 team members across studios in Austin and Houston, as well as staff in Dallas, Denver, Nashville, and Boston. MHOA is a nationally award-winning firm, including AN Interior’s Top Design firms of 2022. Hsu graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture and has practiced in Austin since 1998. Hsu is a member of the UT School of Architecture’s Advisory Council and a past member of the Texas Society of Architects Board. He is a Past President of AIA Austin and was elevated to AIA’s College of Fellows in 2021.
Lawrence W. Speck, FAIA
Lawrence W. Speck, FAIA
Senior Principal, Page | Professor, University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture
Lawrence W. Speck is Senior Design Principal for architectural firm Page, with offices in 18 cities across the U.S. He is a well-known design educator, having been a faculty member at M.I.T, University of Western Australia, and University of Texas at Austin for many years. He served as Dean of the School of Architecture at University of Texas at Austin 1992-2001. Speck has helped lead six major master planning projects for Austin, including master plans for the Colorado River downtown, the Texas State Capital, and the new Dell Medical School. He has been lead architect for two major parks in Houston—Discovery Green and Buffalo Bayou Park. In addition to many urban commercial buildings, Speck has been lead designer for Austin Bergstrom International Airport Terminal, Austin Convention Center, and academic buildings on six university campuses. His work has been widely published and has won over 120 awards—30+ from the AIA. He has received over 40 educator awards, including the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion.
DJ Stout
DJ Stout
Partner, Pentagram
DJ Stout is one of 24 partners of Pentagram, a renowned design firm with offices in London, New York, Berlin and Austin. He studied graphic design at Texas Tech University and began his career in 1981, working for Robert A. Wilson Associates in Dallas. In 1987, he moved to Austin, where he was the art director of Texas Monthly magazine for 13 years.
At Pentagram, DJ specializes in the creation of brand identity and strategy, publication design, packaging and interactive solutions. He’s done work for high-profile companies and institutions like Tulane School of Architecture, Digital Turbine, Dick Clark Productions, Elevation Burger, San Antonio Book Festival, Texas Cultural Trust, The Contemporary Austin, New Mexico Museum of Art, Frist Art Museum, Loyola Marymount University, Oregon State University, World Wildlife Fund, and Rizzoli.
In 2010 DJ was the recipient of the prestigious Richard Gangel Award, a lifetime achievement designation from the Society of Illustrators. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and the author of two books. DJ’s design retrospective "Variations on a Rectangle" was published in the Fall of 2015 by the University of Texas Press.