Meet the Leaders Stepping Up: DBIA-SW Welcomes Three Interim Chairs
The DBIA Southwest Region is proud to welcome three accomplished leaders to its volunteer leadership team
Meet Your Interim Chairs
Brian Straley, LEED AP | Owners’ Council Chair
Brian is founding partner at DFW Project Solutions. There he leads preconstruction, project management and new development pursuits. Over 27 years in commercial real estate, he has led teams delivering office, manufacturing, multifamily, healthcare, data center and museum projects nationwide, including large corporate headquarters and build-to-suit projects.
Before founding DFW Project Solutions, Brian served as national build-to-suit leader for CBRE. He wrote best practice guides and trained project managers across the country. From 2011 to 2020, he grew CBRE’s project management group from a $3.5 million business to more than $20 million. He has also led Panattoni’s Central Region construction division and Duke Realty’s Atlanta and Dallas offices. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Florida.
As chair, Brian will help Owners across the region connect, share lessons learned and shape best practices for successful design-build delivery. When he’s not on a project, you’ll find him on the golf course or helping coach his two sons’ sports teams.
W. Paul Waters, AIA | Albuquerque Chapter Chair
Paul is an architect and project manager who leads the Aviation & Federal group in Burns & McDonnell’s Albuquerque office. He brings 45 years of experience across project development, design, bidding and construction administration. His work includes design and design-build projects for municipal, federal and private sector clients. He manages projects for the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense, as well as aviation and commercial clients throughout the Southwest and beyond.
Paul is also a seasoned volunteer leader. He has 30 years with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), including two terms as Albuquerque chapter president and 15 years on the SAME board. He has already rallied a group of New Mexico professionals who are eager to get involved. Paul will lead the effort to re-energize DBIA’s presence in New Mexico heading into 2027.
Jeff McCord, Assoc. DBIA | Legislative Chair
Jeff is senior director of business development for The Haskell Company’s Water Market. He brings more than 20 years of experience serving the Texas water and wastewater industry. His career spans construction, equipment and material supply, contractor sales and project development, which gives him a unique view of how infrastructure projects are planned, procured and delivered.
Today, Jeff helps utility Owners evaluate and implement collaborative delivery methods like design-build to improve schedule certainty and cost control, reduce risk and strengthen team alignment. He is a passionate advocate for the Texas water industry. As chair, he will guide the committee’s work as 2027 legislative sessions ramp up across the Southwest, helping make sure design-build has a strong voice wherever policy is shaped.
Get Involved
Want to support the Owners’ Council, help build the New Mexico Chapter or engage in legislative efforts?
Our new chairs would love to hear from you!
