Houston Construction & Development

Mr. Elijah J. Williams serves as the Executive Director of The Energy Corridor District leading efforts to shape initiatives in the areas of economic development, transportation, infrastructure, public safety, and urban design in one of the Houston region’s most important business centers. Williams has spent his career solving critical challenges at the intersection of government, business, community, and policy. He has successfully advocated for policy issues and funding appropriations at all levels of government. Williams’ career has included a distinguished tenure in federal government at NASA and the SBA, including service as a Presidential Appointee. He has also served as a Committee Director in the Texas House of Representatives and founded two consulting firms specializing in business development and contracting. Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for City Park TIRZ 12, the Advisory Board for the Houston Land Bank, Legislative Policy Council for the Transportation Advocacy Group – Houston Region, and the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Advisory Committee. Formerly, he served on the Board of Directors of numerous organizations including the Houston Area Urban League (HAUL), the Gulf Coast Rail District, and Leadership Houston. Williams is a graduate of Leadership Houston - Class XXX, the President’s Leadership Workshop (The White House), a NASA Leadership Development Program, and Leadership Huntsville-Madison County.

Stephen Klineberg has been shaping local thought on the ongoing changes in the Houston metropolitan region for almost 40 years. Through his work on the “Kinder Houston Area Survey,” now in its 40th year, he has tracked the economic outlooks, demographic patterns, experiences and beliefs of local residents. Under contract with Simon & Schuster, his book, “Prophetic City: Houston on the Cusp of a Changing America” was released in 2020. Klineberg is the recipient of twelve major teaching awards and a much sought-after speaker in the Houston community and beyond. He is a graduate of Haverford College, the University of Paris and Harvard University. He and his wife Margaret have called Houston home since the early 1970s; they have two children and five grandchildren.

Ryan LeVasseur joined Rice Management Company in 2019 as the Managing Director of Direct Real Estate. In this role, Mr. LeVasseur is responsible for investments in strategic development opportunities in Houston. Prior to joining RMC, Mr. LeVasseur spent five years in Hines’ New York development office where he was a Managing Director. Prior to joining Hines, Mr. LeVasseur was a Director at HR&A Advisors. While at HR&A, he was responsible for urban development assignments in an array of locations including the New York City metropolitan area, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Detroit. Mr. LeVasseur received an MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University where he was a Kinne Fellow and a Bachelor of Architecture and a BA in Architecture from Rice University. Ryan serves as a member of the Columbia GSAPP Alumni Board and was an adjunct professor at Columbia University teaching a course on real estate market analytics.

Michael G. Scheurich’s passion for construction originated with a love of architecture and how buildings are designed. After growing up in the small town of Beaumont, Texas, he entered the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University with a vision to become an architect, quickly realizing he wanted to build. This led him to obtain his bachelor’s degree in construction science from Texas A&M University. His construction career began in Dallas and continued in Houston, where he served for three of the nation’s top 20 general contractors. This was the incubation period for Scheurich’s vision to launch his own construction company. Scheurich understood that, to achieve this entrepreneurial dream, he needed more than a degree in the science of how to build. He also needed to understand the science of how to operate a company, so he obtained a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. With an MBA in tow, he established Arch-Con Corporation in 2000 as a resource for the local commercial real estate community in the areas of office and industrial design-build construction. Today, the business also operates in the markets of retail, healthcare, corporate interiors, community, hospitality and multifamily construction. The company has offices in Houston, Dallas, Austin and Denver with more than 200 employees and an annual revenue of more than $500 million. Additionally, Scheurich utilizes his design and construction relationships to team with strategic partners to develop high-quality assets. Arch-Con’s headquarters was developed by Scheurich and constructed by Arch-Con. He is experienced in leveraging the latest, cost-efficient technologies and strives to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. Scheurich serves on the Greater Houston Partnership Board of Directors, the National NAIOP Forum, the University of St. Thomas Buildings and Grounds Committee, and the Annunciation Orthodox School Building and Grounds Committee. He recently served on the Wallis State Bank Board of Directors, served nine years on the Houston NAIOP Board of Directors, and three years on the National NAIOP Board of Directors. He donates his time and resources to vital organizations including Hermann Park Conservancy, SEARCH Homeless Services, Bo's Place, St. Anne Catholic Community, Christian Community Services Center, among others.

Patrick Ezzell worked for over 25 years in real estate development and construction including serving as VP of Development for Camden Property Trust launching Camden’s first Midtown development and as principal of multiple new construction and renovation multifamily and commercial projects in Houston and other states before shifting gears into economic development and infrastructure project management. Launching his private consulting firm in 2009, Ezzell’s group contracted with the East End District to build the district’s capital infrastructure projects; raise additional capital for infrastructure; and promote economic development in the district. On the district’s behalf Ezzell’s group raised over $40 million for new infrastructure through Federal, private, and philanthropic sources and developed and constructed the Navigation Esplanade, Guadalupe Plaza Park, 31 miles of sidewalks, 7 miles of bikeways and over 700 trees. Additionally, Ezzell’s group led the effort for the district to establish Harrisburg TIRZ 23 and numerous economic development efforts to attract new development to the East End. To support those efforts Ezzell obtained his MBA in Economic Development from University of Houston Victoria. In 2017 Ezzell, after recognizing that the Houston region lacked a strong nonprofit real estate development corporation capable of developing significant sustainable projects to benefit low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, he founded Urban Partnerships Community Development Corporation (UP CDC) as an economic development nonprofit company specializing in industrial, commercial, and multifamily projects and promoting economic development. In short, UP CDC is a nonprofit dedicated to building wealth in low- and moderate-income communities. For its first major project, UP CDC formed partnership with TXRX Labs to build the East End Maker Hub (EEMH). At EEMH, TXRX is the anchor tenant running an incubator for new manufacturing businesses; providing innovation, prototyping and ideation work for private corporations; and STEM education and workforce development for youth and adults. For the 21 acres, 300,000 SF facility, UP CDC raised almost $40 million in capital including $1.25 million in developer equity, $8.4 million in net New Market Tax Credit revenue, a $5 million US EDA grant, $22.7 HUD Section 108 loan through the City of Houston and a $1.4 million COH CDBG grant. The project is expected to bring well over 400 new jobs to the Second Ward area of Houston and is projected to have over $150 million in annual economic impact for the city. After opening in March of 2021, the project is almost fully lease with 43 new companies. UP CDC continues to work on multiple new projects including leading a regional group bring $125 million in new federal investment to the region for building a biotechnology manufacturing cluster and a new entrepreneurial empowerment center in a low-income community in North Houston. To further its economic development impact UP CDC has launched a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution called UP Community Impact Fund to loan money and make investments in communities and UP Commercial Real Estate Corporation. UP CDC continues to promote economic development for the East End District of Houston as well as other management districts.

David Hightower presently serves as Executive Vice President at Midway Companies. He has been involved in the ownership, development and/or management of over 6,000 acres of commercial, residential and agricultural land investments and developments. He has primary responsibility for marketing, sales, project planning and development activities for the firm’s real estate assets, as well as new investment acquisitions. He is also responsible for regulatory approvals and other governmental related activities. He is active in various community and civic activities, and is presently serving on the boards and committees of several organizations that deal with issues affecting the real estate industry and overall community development, including the West Houston Association, the Urban Land Institute – Houston District Council, the Greater Houston Partnership’s Real Estate Advisory Committee and the Houston Real Estate Council. Mr. Hightower is a member of a number of other real estate-related organizations including: the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute , NAIOP – The Commercial Real Estate Development Association, Counselors of Real Estate, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, and Houston Association of Realtors. He has represented several of these organizations in serving on a number of City and County committees addressing a wide range of issues impacting the real estate industry. He is also a founding director and current President of Harris County Improvement District No. 4 (The Energy Corridor District). Mr. Hightower has earned the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) designations and is a licensed real estate broker and licensed professional engineer . He is a life member of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and has served on several committees. And, he is a member and past vice president of the Leadership Houston Association.

Carol Ellinger Haddock is Director of Houston Public Works, the largest American Public Works Association accredited agency in the nation. Carol leads almost 4,000 employees in transforming the culture and operations of the Department, with the purpose: “Together we create a strong foundation for Houston to thrive.” Houston Public Works includes water and wastewater systems; street and storm drainage systems and regulation of both public and private development. The Department has an annual operating budget of $2.1 billion and an annual capital budget of nearly a billion dollars. Carol has been at the City for fifteen years and was promoted to Director in 2017. She has led the organization through a cultural transformation by providing resilience training for all employees. Streamlining operations and equipping employees with new skill sets, has allowed the Department to move forward from Hurricane Harvey, set records for treatment of drinking water in a day, reduced environmental impacts in both the wastewater and stormwater systems, maintain a next-business-day pothole repair program 99% of the time and support more than $6 billion in development. Through Carol’s leadership, Houston Public Works employees have been empowered to take on additional leadership roles in the Department and throughout the country in professional organizations. When other cities or agencies have complex problems to solve, they often turn to Houston for advice and guidance. Carol is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Texas with a Civil Engineering Bachelor’s degree from Rice University and has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Houston. Prior to joining Houston Public Works, Carol worked in private consulting, for the Harris County Flood Control District, and as a Congressional Fellow for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. She is married to Will Haddock, a Houston bankruptcy attorney.

Craig T. Maske, P.E., CFM, is the Chief Planning Officer for the Harris County Flood Control District and is a registered professional engineer in Texas and Missouri, a Certified Floodplain Manager, and an Envision Sustainability Professional. Craig has 30 years of experience as a hydrologist, civil and military engineer, and planner. His experience includes watershed planning studies, design of local and regional flood protection and mitigation projects, floodplain modeling and mapping, storm water quality compliance and training, and disaster recovery projects. Craig is currently serving as the lead for the District’s implementation of revised standards incorporating resilience based on updates to rainfall depths resulting from NOAA Atlas 14 and is working with local municipalities including the City of Houston and Harris County in coordinating standards for flood resilience. Craig also serves as the District’s designated representative to the Houston Planning Commission.

Jacques Gilbert is a Project Manager for PEA Group in Houston, TX. He is a licensed Professional Engineer with almost 15 years of experience working in both the public and private sectors. He has participated in municipal and public utilities projects, including facilities, roadway, water, wastewater, and traffic projects. Before moving to Houston in 2017, Jacques spent over a decade working for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works as a traffic engineer and facility project manager. Since then, Jacques has held various positions for a local municipality and private civil engineering firms and has worked in private land development for the past two years. Jacques is licensed in Arizona, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Southern University and A&M College and a Master of Business Administration from Biola University.

As an engineer at Jones|Carter, Erin Williford considers it a privilege to work on projects that shape the local landscape of urban waterways and roadways. With an affinity for the natural world and the water cycle, Erin Williford earned a degree in Meteorology from Texas A&M University. She followed that up with a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rice University and started her career on the water resources side of civil engineering. Erin has a passion for projects that enhance the world around her and build upon the strengths of her team members. As a TEDx speaker, Erin shared her thoughts on natural design in an urban environment as a result of her work on the Buffalo Bayou Park project. She leads the Jones|Carter Foundation encouraging volunteerism amongst her peers. She is especially passionate about encouraging young kids to engage in STEM activities, most notably, her three daughters. When not at work, Erin can be found exploring public land with her family in multimodal ways… via 4x4 truck, mountain bike, hiking boots, or paddleboard.