From left: Overland Partners’ own Alisha Patterson, Shelby Sekaly and Barbara Warren, photographed at the firm’s downtown San Antonio studio.
On the Heels of its 40-year Milestone
Overland Partners is Developing a Rising Generation of Leaders to Guide the Firm into the Future
By Rudy Arispe | Photography by David Teran
Since its founding in 1987, San Antonio-based Overland Partners has transformed cities around the world through its work in architecture, master planning, and urban design. This includes large-scale projects in the commercial, mixed-use, cultural, education, hospitality, non-profit, civic, and residential sectors, among others.
In San Antonio, some of the recent high-profile yet challenging projects include The Monarch San Antonio hotel, Pearl’s new master plan, and UT San Antonio’s San Pedro I and II buildings.
As the design firm approaches its 40th anniversary in 2027, Overland Partners is cultivating its next generation of leaders, who will carry the firm’s legacy, work and robust network of relationships into the future.
“We have people who are making a huge impact on important projects with their talent as architects,” said Shelby Sekaly, Director of Marketing and Business Development. “But they’re also talented individuals who bring value to their communities. We’ve spent the last several years investing into that group and putting them on a platform to exemplify their leadership in San Antonio.”
Among these up-and-coming leaders – in addition to Sekaly – are Alisha Patterson, Senior Urban Designer, and Barbara Warren, Senior Architect. Their combined vision, passion, and architectural expertise are stewarding Overland’s 40-year history of transforming downtown San Antonio and continuing Overland’s legacy of excellence.
Alisha Patterson, Senior Urban Designer
Patterson’s appreciation for architecture was shaped at an early age by her father, who was a draftsman, and by the Art Deco landmarks she admired during walks through downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she grew up.
Patterson, who sees herself as a “storyteller,” has been with Overland since 2018 and leads work across master planning and urban mixed-use districts, with a particular interest in the early, foundational stages of design.
“We step into projects long before architectural design takes shape,” she explained. “We’re often working with municipalities and private developers that want to cast an ambitious vision, but have not yet put pencil to paper on physical design. They’ve encountered places they love and are inspired by, and they know what story they want to tell. We collaborate with them to understand their vision the story they want to tell. We do a lot of collaborative work with them to understand their vision and fine-tune that narrative. Then we use our skills as urban designers and our architectural backgrounds to create a physical expression of that vision.”
In 2022, when Pearl hired Overland to spearhead master planning efforts for its next phase of development, Patterson played a key role in establishing a vision that reinvigorates and reaffirms Pearl’s transformative role in downtown San Antonio, while enhancing sustainable development opportunities, strengthening access to the river, and preserving the character of Pearl as a cultural landmark in the city.
“That was an exciting project, and it was a turning point in my career, doubling down on my commitment to practice urban design,” she said. “I helped lead presentations, and formed meaningful relationships with several leaders at Pearl, Oxbow, and Silver Ventures. It was a chance to step into a new level of engagement in urban design, with an incredible stakeholder and consultant team.”
Patterson studied architecture at Oklahoma State University. Since relocating here, she has embraced the Alamo City through community and professional endeavors with the Urban Land Institute, San Pedro Playhouse, Centro San Antonio, and the American Institute of Architects. She also co-directs Overland’s art program, curating and organizing biannual exhibitions that have displayed the work of more than 25 local artists since the program was launched.
Barbara Warren, Senior Architect
Raised in Mexico, Warren originally planned on a career in medicine until a professor recognized her natural inclination toward architecture and encouraged her to reconsider her initial choice and instead pursue her passion.
In her work, Warren believes thoughtful, strategic design can strengthen communities and create places that bring people together. Her work is rooted in collaboration, where problem-solving, strong relationships, and attention to detail bring complex projects to life.
One such complex yet rewarding assignment involved helping lead the creation of The Monarch San Antonio, working closely with the principal in charge of the project, Michael Monceaux. The 17-story luxury hotel opened its doors in March at Hemisfair.
“I started that project in 2018, so it was a long journey for me,” she recalled. “All three of my children were born while I was managing that project, so it’s close to my heart. It helped me grow as an architect.
To say that the project had complexities is an understatement. As one might imagine, the building would be designed and constructed with 90-degree interior corners. But that wasn’t so. “The building was designed to be curved — as an embrace to the Hemisfair Park — so there were no 90-degree angles,” Warren said.
And then there were the sensitivities of designing a major hotel within one of the city’s most important public spaces. “It was a very large project with a lot of stakeholders,” Warren said. “The location and the nature of the project required us to be conscious about every decision we were making and how we took it through construction.”
Looking back, Warren is proud of the work the Overland team, in partnership with Zachry Hospitality, did to bring The Monarch San Antonio to fruition. “Every time I walked through the project, the workers would come to me and say, ‘This is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life.’ They would say, ‘I’m always going to remember this one because it’s pushing the limits of what we can do.’ Every person who touched the building felt a great sense of accomplishment.”
Beyond her work at Overland, Barbara is actively involved in the community. She is a member of Leadership San Antonio’s (LSA) Class 50 and serves on the Advisory Board of the Main Plaza Conservancy, an organization focused on preserving and activating one of the city’s most historic public spaces. She is especially excited about being part of LSA, which she believes has opened the horizon to new perspectives to navigating the city and has brought newfound knowledge to the table at Overland.
“Through Leadership San Antonio, I have explored areas of town that I had never seen before,” she said. “I joined this class because I wanted to become fluent in understanding what makes San Antonio unique beyond the circles that I typically navigate. In doing so, I continue to see the importance of downtown and the creation of civic places and economic multipliers that create the essence of the city.”
Shelby Sekaly, Director of Marketing + Business Development
Having lived in New Orleans, where she attended Loyola University, and then in Houston, the San Antonio native and Alamo Heights graduate realized there’s no place like home, and she wants people to know that San Antonio is a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family.
After working for 10 years in commercial real estate in Houston, Sekaly and her husband decided to return home to be closer to family, along with a realization of what makes San Antonio so special and a desire to play a role in its growth.
“San Antonio is a beautiful place to grow up,” Sekaly said. “We’re all preservationists at heart when we grow up in San Antonio because you’re surrounded by so many beautiful historic buildings. Our city does a great job of repurposing space and holding on to that history. It’s what makes our city unique. You also have the connection to the river and this vibrant culture, and warm and friendly people.
As Director of Business Development, Sekaly works closely with firm leadership and design teams to develop pursuit strategies, cultivate client relationships, and connect Overland’s expertise with impactful organizations and communities.
“With my experience in commercial development, I had a lot of visibility into how developments come to be,” Sekaly said. “But what really makes districts and mixed-use developments so successful is the collaboration with the stakeholders and communities around them. Coming back to San Antonio, I see so many opportunities for organizations to collaborate to make our city better.”
Sekaly is proud of Overland’s contribution to the development of downtown and of its 40-year history of impacting the city.
“We have a legacy of connecting people around unified missions,” she said. “Along the way, we’ve made a lot of great friends that help steer San Antonio in a positive direction. One of our founders, Madison Smith, played a key role in the formation of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation (HPARC). His leadership, in partnership with other key members of HPARC helped ignite and create what Hemisfair is today. Fast forward, and we have people like Barbara and Alisha who helped complete the hotel at Hemisfair (The Monarch San Antonio). It’s a full-circle moment for a vision that was set by our founders and partners a long time ago. There are many Overland stories like that, and striving for impact is what we all feel called to do. We’re truly problem solvers, innovators, and connectors.”
Moreover, Sekaly is happy to play her part in helping Overland cultivate a new league of leaders who will usher the firm into the future and continue to make an impact on architecture at home in San Antonio and beyond.
“I feel called to help prepare the next generation to continue Overland’s legacy and help them feel empowered to step into their own space, develop their passions, and find their voice,” she said. “This next generation is talented, diverse, and they represent an exciting next 40 years for Overland.”
