BOOTCAMP SPEAKERS

Melissa received an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and has worked in Boston, Paris and San Francisco.  She has created several immersive installations that delight audiences of all ages. She was commissioned by the City of Austin to create GloWave in 2014 and SkyLines in 2015. Art Alliance Austin commissioned ShadowDreams for the Downtown Holiday Stroll in 2014. Prismatic Installation was created for an exhibition at Lawndale Art Center in Houston and also exhibited at Texas State University galleries.  Melissa has been an artist in residence at Sculpture Space in Utica,NY, Vermont Studio Center, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and Platteforum in Denver.

In her 30 years in art consulting, Jennie has forged a reputation for excellence in providing an all-encompassing scope of services to address the needs of primarily corporate clients, specializing in creating and placing site-specific artwork, both two- and three-dimensional.

Carrie is CEO for the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin representing 800+ companies in the residential construction and remodeling industry.  Previously, Carrie served as CEO for the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Senior Director & Counsel for the Associated General Contractors of America, and Deputy Executive Director & Counsel for ConsensusDocs.  She was also founder and principal of a Colorado law firm focusing on natural resources and land use law.  Carrie has authored a broad range of articles for the Construction Business Owners, Engineering News Record, Michigan State University, and many others, and is a frequent lecturer on business, construction, environment, and legal topics at industry events across the nation.

Carina Coel is the Founder and Principal Architect of Restructure Studio. She has worked in the architectural field in Austin since 2003. Carina holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree as well as a B.A. in Architecture and Art History from Rice University in Houston. Sustainable living has been a passion of Carina’s since she started studying architecture. Additionally, Carina loves dancing, listening to live music with her husband, trying to keep up with her two kids, and pretty much everything about Austin. Restructure Studio was formed to combine excellent design with sustainable practices.

Robin's experience ranges from luxury high-rise condominiums and multi-million dollar custom whole house constructions to small- and large-scale remodels, kitchen and bathroom renovations, and single family residence furnishing projects. She enjoys collaborating with the client, architect, landscape designer and builder early in the planning process. Robin has also worked from South Africa to Austin on hotel, office, and restaurant design. Her interior design work has been featured in publications such as Austin Home, Texas Home & Living and Urban Home. She has also been a contributor for Austin Home and This Old House.

Dolores is the Owner and General Manager of CG&S, a firm founded by her parents in 1957.  She worked her way up from receptionist to office manager to eventually taking on majority ownership, along with her husband Stewart Davis, in 2018.  Dolores has been an active advocate for the building industry, including acting as the Chair of the HBA Custom Builder's Council, and is always on the quest to do remodeling and construction differently, better.   Her areas of interest include advanced building technology, new systems and procedures, accessibility and universal design, and a local focus on workforce development in the construction trades. 

Don Eckols is a licensed Architect with over 30 years of residential design experience. From the East to West coast, throughout Texas and the Caribbean, Don has deigned an array of styles; including sleek contemporary to authentic Old World and Tuscan, Hill Country retreats and Island Plantation. Full architectural services, from site analysis, design, construction documents, budget preparation and construction observation are provided. Commitment to sustainable architecture and green building is evident in numerous projects, recognitions and awards. With a Masters degree from UT Austin and several years of teaching design studios in various universities, Don is committed to design excellence, client satisfaction and the successful completion of each project.

Beau Frail is the Principal Architect of Activate Architecture, a design firm based in Austin TX, that collaborates with communities, cities, and clients to create socially engaged, sustainable, and beautiful spaces. Beau is passionate about community-driven design and working with clients and communities to design equitably and inclusively.  Beau has served on the Texas Society of Architects’ Board of Directors and on the AIA National Associates Committee. Beau’s civic engagement includes serving as a Design Commissioner at the City of Austin and as a founding member of the Open Architecture Collaborative Austin chapter. Beau is a licensed architect in Texas and Florida and also an interior designer in  Texas.

Lisa Gaynor owns Curated, the largest and most luxurious furniture consignment store in Central Texas.  She has grown the store from 3000 square feet to over 15,000 in 12 years.  Lisa is a highly creative retailer and enthusiastic advocate for local business in Austin, and the consignment and resale industry nationwide. She is a charter member of Texas Women in Business and several other business and networking groups and was named Texas Women in Business Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016.

Brian Lang is an elite financial professional whose primary focus is generating wealth for entrepreneurs. Brian is known for his effective strategies that will increase cash and profits, save tens of thousands of dollars per year on taxes, and generate actionable plans to make sure your personal finances are setting you up for success.

After finding success in the business world, Martha O’Hara turned her back on the boardroom and transformed her innate design sense into a career. Today, she continues to bring her singular style to clients worldwide as the studio’s principal designer. Martha O’Hara Interiors is a full-service interior design firm that designs and furnishes homes from inspiration to flawless outcome. With studios in Austin, TX and Minneapolis, MN, the team has earned a reputation for classically beautiful spaces that feel refreshingly balanced and stylish. We create custom interiors for home builds, renovations, and furniture projects that stand the test of time.

A native Texan, Eric grew up in Texarkana, TX and moved to Austin in 1992. He graduated from the Kozmetsky School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin earning his degree in Finance. Eric started in the home building business in 1997. He worked with two major builders in Austin including working as sales manager of a multi-million dollar custom division. He is former president of the Custom Builder Council of Austin and a former member of the board of directors of Home Builder Association of Greater Austin.  Eric lives in Westlake with his wife Allison, their son Luke and daughter, Emily.  When he is not building homes, Eric enjoys coaching kid’s sports, traveling, playing golf, watching the Longhorns, and running (#12 marathon in February 2018).

Architect and Interior Designer, Peter is professionally licensed in Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon, as well as with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He holds a Masters in Architecture degree, with an emphasis in resource efficient design and energy studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Pfeiffer is LEED accredited and has spent more than 30 years designing and developing pragmatic high performance buildings and homes. In 2004 he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for his life-long commitment to "mainstreaming green building in North America”.   He was also recently named 2020 Sustainability Superhero by Green Building Magazine. 

Jill Siegel is an Austin based creative and business entrepreneur. After 10 in the wine business, Jill set her sights on interior design. In 2003, she took on a design role for California Closets in Seattle, Washington and 1 year later became the Director of Sales and Design. In 2007, she purchased the California Closets branch in Austin/San Antonio along with her  business partner/ husband and has grown that into a multi-million dollar design/cabinetry organization. After identifying a glaring opportunity in the market in 2010, Jill created design.theory, a locally manufactured custom cabinetry line. By 2016, she had expanded that single product line to a mix of 3 and fully launched a new business called LAVISH kitchen + bath to serve the custom cabinetry needs and aesthetic of the Central Texas market and beyond.

Bill Stegeman is the Founder of the Astor & Longwood Group Keller Williams.  He has been in real estate brokerage since 1985, having begun his career in new-construction sales in New York City.  He was a top-producing sales agent as well as an award-winning managing broker in Chicago for many years prior to coming to Austin.  Bill earned his BA at Princeton University and his MBA at Columbia University.  He also studied at the New York School of Interior Design.

Caroline Valentine, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the President of ValentineHR, serving 300+ businesses throughout Texas, the U.S., Great Britain, Australia and Canada.  Working with everyone from start-ups to corporate HR departments, Caroline offers a strong understanding of the factors that comprise great human resource management. She has a deep knowledge of HR best practices, complex regulatory issues, business trends and organizational dynamics, and she uses that knowledge and mastery to make HR a key factor in her clients’ successful execution of their strategies. Her expertise can make their human resources management a profit driver, not just a de facto legal or regulatory department.

Krisstina Wise is a real estate mogul, Millionaire Coach, and creator of several multi-million dollar businesses including Goodlife Luxury, The Paperless Agent and most recently, WealthyWellthy. She is also an international speaker and the award-winning author of the Amazon Best-Seller Falling for Money, a romance novel for your bank account. Named one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders in the country, she has been featured in USA TODAY, as well as by Apple, Contactually and Evernote for her creative leadership with emerging technologies.