Program Speakers & Panelists
Allison Chambers is a Principal at Ford, Powell & Carson Architects in the Historic Preservation Studio. With degrees in both Architecture and Historic Preservation she approaches each project with a unique design perspective and the desire to see historic buildings utilized to their full potential. During Allison’s tenure at FPC, she has managed numerous large scale historic projects including the restoration and addition to the South Texas Heritage Center at the Witte Museum in San Antonio, the renovation of City Hall and Plaza de Armas for the City of San Antonio, and the repainting of the Exterior Dome and House Chamber ceiling at the Texas State Capitol. As a LEED Accredited Professional, she works to incorporate sustainable design strategies into historic buildings through sensitive measures that blend harmoniously with the historic features. Allison’s LEED projects include the restoration of the U.S. Post Office and Federal Courts Building in San Antonio, and the restoration and addition to the Texas Governor’s Mansion. Allison has served on the Board of the San Antonio Conservation Society, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mahnke Park Neighborhood Association and Villa Finale, Co-chairs AIA San Antonio’s Historic Resources Committee and is VP of Programs for the San Antonio Modern Quilt Guild.
Angela Lombardi, Ph.D. is an architect, preservationist, and architectural historian, and Full Professor of Architecture and Preservation at the University of Texas at San Antonio. A licensed architect in Italy, her work bridges professional practice and academic research. She served as Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation for eight years and has served as Director of the Center for Cultural Sustainability since January 2025. In 2026, she was recognized as a Texas Preservation Hero by the Conservation Society of San Antonio. Her research and teaching focus on heritage conservation and resilience at both architectural and urban scales. Recent work includes advanced studies of San Antonio’s built and cultural landscapes—ranging from mission sites to areas shaped by urban renewal, such as the West Side and the Hemisfair district—employing cutting-edge documentation technologies across the building, city, and territorial scales. Her research also includes the structural assessment of Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park. Internationally, Dr. Lombardi has worked on projects at UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Cathedral of Siena, Italy Baalbek and Tyre, Lebanon, Erbil Citadel, Iraq, Historic Centre of Lima, Peru, Ancient Merv, Turkmenistan and Mesa Verde, Colorado, US.
Sue Ann Pemberton, FAIA, FAPT, Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has been both a practitioner and academic for nearly forty years. She holds a Master of Architecture Degree and Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University. Her focus of practice, study and teaching includes design, materials research and technology, inner city development, and historic preservation. Ms. Pemberton is committed to the community engagement. She was the first preservation professional to be President of the San Antonio Conservation Society. She currently serves on the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation and has been Tri-Chair of the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee since 2014 and serves on the Bexar County Historical Commission.
Maria Watson Pfeiffer was raised in the King William neighborhood within walking distance of the HemisFair site. Her mother, a staunch preservationist, was active in the Conservation Society and a volunteer who helped document the pre-Fair site and advocated for its historic fabric. Prior to the fair, her family bought groceries, hardware and liquor, had their shoes repaired, dropped off laundry and dry cleaning and shopped for antiques in the site’s old and often decrepit buildings. Her high school years, from 1964 to1968, coincided with the years the fair was envisioned, constructed, and opened. She left for college and returned in 1972, to observe the neglect and vandalism that had befallen the site. During the ensuing 54 years she has followed the changing landscape. Maria’s diverse professional career included the DRT Library, the Conservation Society, the Museum Association, and the Parks and Recreation Department. Throughout her career she worked as a historian and preservation consultant specializing in documentation of the 19th and 20th century history of San Antonio. Maria received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin and her M.A. in Urban Studies from Trinity University. Her work includes numerous nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designations, as well as museum exhibits and interpretive signage. She is the author of School by the River: Ursuline Academy to Southwest School of Art and Craft, 1851-2001 and has contributed to many historical studies and publications.
Monica Savino is an architect, a preservationist, and a community advocate. She has worked for a number of award-winning firms and has been integrally involved in projects both great and small. Her years living, working and learning in Texas and Massachusetts gave rise to a keen interest in how history and architecture can inform and support contemporary activities and places. Ms. Savino is a registered architect in the State of Texas, LEED certified, and is principle of Savino Architecture LLC. She is the recipient of two Preservation Houston Good Brick Awards (2009, 2017) and is a 2026 recipient of the Conservation Society’s Historic Preservation Award for the Built Environment. In addition to a diverse architectural project schedule, Ms. Savino serves the community as the Chair for the historic Yturri-Edmunds Homestead for the Conservation Society, and serves as the City Council District 2 appointee to the City’s Historic and Design Review Commission. Recently, she served on several community and civic-based organization boards including the founder of the Dignowity Hill NA Architectural Review Committee, City of Houston’s Parking Benefits pilot program, Rice Design Alliance’s Cite Magazine Editorial Committee, the Washington on Westcott Roundabout Initiative, Super Neighborhood #22, and Houston Mod. Ms. Savino has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Music with a teaching certificate from Texas State University. While living and working in Massachusetts, Ms. Savino attended Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the Boston Architectural Center. Upon returning to Texas, she earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas in Austin.
William “Bill” G. Shown is the Chief Creative Officer of Silver Ventures, Inc. In this position he oversees the creative and design processes of all of the impact investments of Silver Ventures. For twenty-one years before this he led the talented Oxbow Development team that is responsible for every aspect of the built environment at the historic Pearl Brewery and its surrounds. Bill has worked on Pearl since its infancy and embraces a vision-led approach to real estate development, with positive impact on the community and the built environment being paramount. Related to this, he believes that there is great value in repurposing historic buildings and giving them new life and a chance to tell their stories to the next generation. Bill is a strong advocate for Central City development and toward that end served for nine years in leadership positions on the Board of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation. He is also active in the Urban Land Institute, helping promote San Antonio’s urban renaissance and continued growth. Bill is a graduate of Texas A&M University and has a law degree from St. Mary’s University. He and his wife Pam have been together for forty years and they have two adult children, Cody & Will.
