2026 Preserving Place: The Santa Fe Continuum - Speaker and Moderator bios and affiliations
BIOGRAPHIES AND AFFILIATIONS BY PANELS (in alphabetical order by last name as available)
Miguel Acosta, Co-Director at Earth Care/Poder Familiar https://www.earthcarenm.org/
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Daniel Hernandez, Project LLChttps://www.projecticllc.com/
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Faviola Chavez, City of Santa Fe Affordable Housing Director, https://santafenm.gov/affordable-housing
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A product of the American West, Miles D. Conway was raised in Breckenridge, Colorado, before moving to New Mexico in the early 90s. He currently resides north of Santa Fe in the village of Rio En Medio with his wife of 28 years, Mikahla Beutler.
As the CEO/EVP for the New Mexico Home Builders Association, Miles is a dedicated advocate at the forefront of tackling the State's housing affordability and production challenges. He believes in the power of building coalitions to drive impactful policy, zoning reform, and innovative legislation all aimed at supporting the home building industry and expanding attainable, quality housing for New Mexico people.The New Mexico Home Builders Association is a trade association affiliated with local associations throughout the state and with the National Association of Home Builders. Chartered in 1959, the New Mexico Home Builders Association represents our members in the housing, commercial construction, and associated industries.
Our goal is to continue to improve conditions in the construction industry thereby providing the citizens of New Mexico with safe, quality housing and commercial buildings.
NMHA do this by:Serving as the voice of our members by being a proactive influence in the legislative and regulatory process;Providing industry information, services, and education to our membership and the public;Encouraging the professional standards of our members:Maintaining the positive image of our industry and association;|Promoting home ownership; andSupporting the growth and effectiveness of local associations.
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Denise Benavidez, Deputy Director, Community Development Department, County of Santa Fe
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Shawn Evans, AIA, APT-RP, https://modelofarchitecture.org/
Shawn serves as a Principal at Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS), a 501-c3 non-profit design firm, where he co-leads the Santa Fe Studio. Shawn joined MASS in 2022, following a 27-year career at AOS Architects. Shawn has been involved in the planning, design, and preservation of more than 115 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including 15 National Historic Landmarks. His work has garnered more than 30 national, regional, and local design awards for projects such as Los Poblanos, Wa-Di Housing, Siler Yard, and the rehabilitation of the traditional village at Ohkay Owingeh, which received the 2014 National Trust/ACHP Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation. A past fellow of the James Marston Fitch Foundation, he was the President of AIA Santa Fe in 2025. Shawn studied architecture at Texas A&M, holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, and has taught at Temple, Penn, and UNM. Since his own diagnosis in 2018, Shawn has been an advocate for people living with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.
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Lisa Gavioli, Senior Director of Real Estate Development, Homewisehttps://homewise.org/
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James Horn, Principal at Spears Horn Architects, AIA New Mexico Presidenthttps://www.aianewmexico.org/about
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Tómas Rivera, Executive Director, Chainbreaker Collective https://www.chainbreaker.org/
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Mayrah Udvardi, (AIA, LEED AP BD+C, NCARB), Design Director, Model of Architecture Serving Society https://modelofarchitecture.org/
Mayrah is an architect, educator, and Design Director with MASS Design Group. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to living ecosystems, environmental justice, and architecture's role in equitably redefining territory worldwide. Since 2018, Mayrah has led and contributed to over 45 projects across the region in support of creative nonprofits, Tribal, and rural communities. Prior to MASS, she worked with Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative on building design and technical capacity in Indian Country, with Urban- Think Tank on community-led shack upgrading in South Africa, with Global Citizens for Sustainable Development on migrant housing in India, and with Enterprise Community Partners on documenting best practices in affordable housing. Mayrah holds a Master of Architecture with Honors from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Environmental Studies with Honors from Wellesley College, and is the recipient of Kinne, Watson, Schiff, Albright, Noble Foundation, and Aspen Ideas Festival Fellowships and AirWG and ZK/U Artist Residencies. She has taught at Kent CAED, Barnard College, and the Santa Fe Art Institute, and is the author of "On Fragile Architecture: Exploring Causes of Indigenous Housing Insecurity" and "Bangalore: Urban Development and Environmental Justice." Mayrah has called Santa Fe home since 2013 and stewards a 100-year-old adobe with her partner and daughter along Agua Fria Street. Connect with her in English, Deutsch, Español, हिंदी, or اردو.
Model of Architecture Serving Society
Hopewell Mann Neighborhood Stabilization Plan
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Danielle Wilson (AICP), Senior Planner / Project Manager, Sites Southwesthttps://www.sites-sw.com/
Danielle Wilson believes that those who are directly impacted by the planning process should have a voice in its creation. Often, the solutions to the most intractable challenges are found within individual experience, local knowledge, and careful collaboration. Once we understand what we each have to give to the places we inhabit, and our mutual dependence, reciprocating communities can fl ourish. This process begins by knowing each other and the land. On that foundation, we build and develop our physical, economic, organizational, and human communities.
Ms. Wilson has worked in community development through private, non-profi t and philanthropic sectors for 10+ years. In her professional work and beyond, she uses a collective organizing lens to build momentum for positive change. Knowing that community planning and change can occur at any scale, Ms. Wilson’s experience ranges from creative vacant lot redevelopment, to organizing for districtwide education reform. In all her work, she strives to meet people where they are, create a common vision and shared values and build tangible actions for the work to continue beyond the plan.
REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS: East Lohman Development Plan, Las Cruces, NM; EMNRD SCORP Plan, NM Acequia Madre Master Plan, Albuquerque, NM; Town of Carrizozo Comprehensive Plan; Animas Action Plan, Farmington, NM