Roy L. Diez, Class of 2008
Roy L. Diez was associate publisher and director of editorial for Professional Builder magazine, having served with the magazine for 34 years. He started as new products editor, moving up to associate editor and managing editor, then becoming editor-in-chief in 1979. In 1989, he was named editorial director and, in 1992, was appointed a vice president of Cahners, now Reed Business Information, Professional Builder’s parent company.
Diez has won many top editorial awards, including seven Jesse H. Neal Editorial Achievement Awards, the highest honor in business press journalism. He has created and worked on such major editorial features as Professional Builder’s “Annual Report of Housing’s Giants,” the “Annual Consumer/Builder Survey of Housing,” and helped create the Best in American Living Awards co-sponsored with NAHB, the “Energy Value Housing Award” co-sponsored with the NAHB Research Center and the “National Housing Quality Awards,” also co-sponsored with the NAHB Research Center.
David Weekley, Class of 2014
David Weekley, after being let go from his previous job, was inspired to step out on his own and at just 23 years old founded his own company, David Weekley Homes. What started out as a Houston business venture has since become a multiregional powerhouse.
In 2013, David Weekley Homes was named National Builder of the Year by Professional Builder Magazine for its second time, making the company one of the only two builders to ever receive this distinction. In addition to being a successful businessman, Weekley is also an accomplished Eagle Scout, devout Christian, family man and generous philanthropist, donating his time to both domestic affairs and international.
David Baker, FAIA, Class of 2019
David Baker, FAIA, is the founding principal of David Baker Architects (DBA), a progressive and collaborative practice based in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., and Birmingham, Ala. DBA creates acclaimed buildings in urban environments and is known for exceptional housing, creative site strategies, designing for density, and integrating new construction into the public realm.
A leader in the affordable housing space, DBA has designed and built more than 13,000 affordable homes in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Baker’s diverse current projects include modular housing for formerly homeless individuals in San Francisco, boutiques hotels, and mixed-use master plans.
