CoSci prof elevated to executive director of design industry engagement
Donna Coussons ’99, will fill a new role as Executive Director of Design Industry Engagement for the Texas A&M School of Architecture, beginning August 8, 2022.
Coussons comes from Texas-based construction firm Linbeck Group, where she served as vice president of business development. She also currently serves as an instructional assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Construction Science, where she teaches civil discourse classes that focus on the construction industry’s historical and current social issues.
In her new role, Coussons will forge new advisory councils for the departments of architecture and landscape architecture and urban planning to help the design side of the school create valuable partnerships and engage with their industries, mirroring the success of the Department of Construction Science’s Construction Industry Advisory Council.
“Donna will help us form impactful and mutually beneficial relationships with the top professionals and organizations in the nation. Her experience and emphasis on relationships will give us industry insights and provide an active pipeline of opportunities for our students,” said Patrick Suermann, interim dean of the School of Architecture. “It is a mammoth undertaking that will aid in our mission to be among the best programs in the country, graduating talented leaders who will go on to elevate their fields of work and build a better world.”
Coussons has considerable experience in business development in the architecture, engineering and construction industries, and built longterm relationships with clients in the healthcare, higher education, science and technology, commercial and cultural sectors.
Coussons earned a bachelor’s degree at Mays Business School and holds a Master of Education in Instructional Technology at Sam Houston State University. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Architecture Center Houston, a collaboration of AIA Houston and the Architecture Center Houston Foundation, and chairs the AIA – Houston Kids + Architecture committee.
