Senior Design Director

The University of Houston (UH) requests nominations and applications for the Dean of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. This is a singular leadership opportunity at one of the nation’s most dynamic research universities, situated in a city that is simultaneously one of the world’s great built-environment laboratories and an emerging center of architectural and design culture. This is also a moment of significant transformation in architecture and design education, driven by advances in artificial intelligence, computational design, climate imperatives, and the blurring of disciplinary boundaries. The next Dean will be a forward-thinking leader who embraces that transformation and positions the Hines College at the leading edge of what design education can be.

The next Dean will be an engaging, charismatic, and compassionate leader for the faculty; a strong advocate for the teaching, research, and practice mission of the College; a preeminent university citizen and leader who can represent the College campus-wide; and an energetic and conscientious administrator with strong acumen for finances and strategic resource allocation. The successful candidate will be familiar with evolving challenges that face students and faculty alike in higher education, architecture, interior architecture, environmental design, industrial design, and other related fields; and the successful candidate will be an energetic and visionary leader who will lead the College into its next era and play a leading role in supporting and strengthening UH’s position as a nationally leading Tier One research university.

The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design

Named in honor of legendary Houston developer and real estate icon Gerald D. Hines, the College of Architecture and Design is one of the premier architecture and design schools in the South and Southwest. The College is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and creative practice by leveraging its accomplishments and expertise on behalf of the University, the profession, and the city of Houston. The Hines College offers degrees in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Environmental Design, and Industrial Design, with total enrollment of 677 (609 undergraduates and 68 graduate students). The Hines College is distinguished by its commitment to integrating conceptual rigor with real-world application, producing graduates who are prepared to professionally and conceptually engage the full complexity of the built environment across disciplines and geographies.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Dean serves as the Chief Academic and Administrative Officer of the Hines College and is responsible for providing energetic, visionary, and effective leadership in the following areas:

• Academic Leadership and Strategic Planning: These responsibilities include directing and overseeing the programs of the College as well as developing the strategic directions of the College in concert with the University’s Strategic Plan. The Dean articulates the long-range vision, specific strategies, and detailed administrative and fiscal provisions to ensure the continued excellence of the College programs and faculty. The Dean works closely with the University’s executive leadership and with other University of Houston Deans on multidisciplinary hiring and on research and teaching programs. The successful candidate will promote the University and the Hines College and actively participate in hands-on management and open decision-making in a culture of shared governance.
• Faculty Appointments: The Dean of the Hines College is responsible for the recruitment, appointment, reappointment, promotion, and tenure of faculty in the College. The Dean works through the established appointment, promotion, and tenure processes of the College and the University and is responsible for maintaining the integrity of these processes. The Dean works with the faculty to implement long-range recruiting strategies for the Hines College, formulated in collaboration with the Provost. The Dean is responsible for meeting or exceeding the University’s recruiting objectives for quality and productivity with intentionality to maintain disciplinary representation across the College's design disciplines and strategic goals.
• Budgetary and Administrative Oversight: The Dean is responsible for overseeing the College’s budget and for the strategic allocation of resources in the College. The Dean allocates the resources necessary to support the faculty research agenda, facilitate extramurally funded research, and fund graduate students and programs, and the Dean is responsible for the establishment of effective internal cost controls within the College. The Dean is responsible for coordinating the activities of program directors, the Hines College faculty, associate and assistant Deans, and staff. And the Dean is responsible for the allocation of academic and research facilities, planning for future facilities’ needs, overseeing non-faculty staffing decisions and organization, and developing collaborative teaching and research programs with other UH colleges and divisions.
• Stewardship and Development: The Dean plays a pivotal role in representing the needs of the Hines College and UH to external constituents and donors – on regional, national, and international levels. The Dean has primary responsibility for articulating the philanthropic aspirations of the Hines College in conjunction with the long-range strategic plans of the University. The Dean works collaboratively with the President’s leadership team and other academic and University leaders across campus in planning for the College’s fundraising priorities and goals. In executing those plans the Dean engages proactively with the University’s development staff, development officers and liaisons, volunteer advisory boards, and with the College’s own academic leadership. In addition, the Dean plays a critical role in ensuring that philanthropic donations are well stewarded in accordance with donor expectations, address needs within the College, and are communicated fully and in a timely manner with both the College and University communities.

Qualifications

The next Dean will possess a distinguished record of academic and professional achievement, superior interpersonal and management skills, and a demonstrated commitment to UH’s mission, vision, and students. In addition, leading candidates should:

• Have an outstanding record of scholarly and/or creative achievement commensurate with appointment as a full professor in one of the College’s programs;
• Possess a terminal degree in architecture, design, or a closely related field;
• Demonstrate the capacity to bridge theory and practice;
• Possess the ability to serve as an engaging fundraiser and advocate on behalf of the College at the local, national, and international levels; and to further develop the College’s external relationships to not only increase philanthropic donations but to stimulate productive partnerships with external constituencies;
• Have proven people skills and be a highly effective listener and communicator with both academic and non-academic audiences;
• Be a seasoned and decisive but also a compassionate, empathetic servant leader with strong organizational and consensus-building skills, integrity, and the ability to inspire and lead a highly accomplished faculty with diverse interests;
• Have a commitment to providing students with a high-quality educational experience and aggressively addressing issues related to student success;
• Demonstrate a commitment to assessment and accountability measures that will help to guide and enhance strategic planning goals in accordance with UH’s Strategic Plan, and to appropriately track and articulate the College and University’s national competitiveness;
• Have demonstrated ability to build multidisciplinary programs and to create an internationally focused, professionally engaged, and outwardly-facing educational environment for students;
• Bring an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to the Dean position and serve as a catalyst for new and compelling initiatives in the College;
• Demonstrate familiarity with, and a forward-looking perspective on, emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, computational design, and design automation, and their implications for both the practice and pedagogy of architecture and design;
• Be adept at fiscal management, both in establishing and implementing budgets and in effectively allocating resources; and
• Share the commitment by UH to innovation, collaboration, and resilience; to the personal and educational enrichment of its faculty, staff, and students; and to the passion for the College’s role in ensuring the success of every member of its community.

Application/Nomination Process

The Search Committee invites letters of nomination and applications (letter of interest, full resume/CV, and contact information of at least five references) to be submitted to the search firm assisting UH. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications are submitted before September 8, 2026. Please submit electronic applications directly to Parker Executive Search. For additional information, please contact:

Porsha Williams, Vice President
Jacob Anderson, Principal
Julia Butler-Mayes, Ph.D., Associate
Parker Executive Search
Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875
Atlanta, GA 30328
View phone number on www-printmag-com.filesusr.com; 109; 111
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The University of Houston is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
The University of Houston is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.