Alumni Design Award 2026 Jury

Grant Alford is an architect and Associate Professor of Architecture at Kansas State University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate design studios as well as seminars on new media, drawing, digital technology, and craft. His research examines the intersections of craft, representation, and contemporary architectural practice. He is the author of Craft Theory and Contemporary Architecture (Routledge, 2025) and has practiced professionally with award-winning firms in New York, New Jersey, and Texas. Alford received degrees from Texas Tech University and Princeton University. Originally from West Texas, he resides in Manhattan, Kansas, with his wife, Lauren, and their six children.

Elizabeth began her professional career in 1998 and has worked in large and small firms, providing a range and depth of experiences.

She joined Upchurch Architects in 2003, and has been recognized for her leadership and achievements as a young professional by the Dallas AIA, AIA Brazos, and the Texas Society of Architects.

Tobin Smith, AIA, is Principal and founder of Tobin Smith Architect in San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the American Institute of Architects San Antonio Chapter’s Homes Tour, Co-Chair of the Chapter’s Custom Residential Architects Network group, was a past Chair of the Chapter’s Lecture Series and served on the Chapter’s Executive Committee as well as on the Texas Society of Architects Honor Awards Committee. He recently completed his tenure on the Advisory Council of Villa Finale, the only National Trust Historic Site in Texas.

Tobin has been a guest critic at Texas Tech College of Architecture, University of Texas Austin School of Architecture and University of Texas San Antonio School of Architecture. He is a graduate of Cornell University and a post-graduate winner of the Robert James Eidlitz Fellowship. Tobin is licensed to practice architecture in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico and is registered with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.