MEET OUR TEXAS LEADERSHIP TEAM
Don Luke
Regional President
Don brings over 33 years of experience in the homebuilding industry to his role as Regional President. Don began his career in 1985 at Ryland Homes and joined Lennar Homes in 1996 as Director of Sales. At Lennar he held various progressive positions over his 22 years from Director of Construction, Division President, City President, and Regional President. Don is a leader who is inspiring, growing, and building highly impactful performing teams and individuals. Don is known for his strong work ethic, integrity, and a high degree of personal initiative.
Tracy Brown
Division President, Houston
Tracy brings over 20 years of experience in the residential construction industry to his role as the Houston Division President at Empire Communities. Prior to joining the Empire team, Tracy served as the Dallas Division President at David Weekley Homes where he managed the division’s strategic planning and operations including construction, sales, marketing, project management, and community development. He also worked as a Project Manager in Houston for David Weekley and Division Manager of Houston for Highland Homes. Tracy’s established experience and expertise has helped Empire expand its footprint within the Houston market.
Terry Shuffler
Division President, Central Texas
Terry brings over 30 years of experience in the homebuilding industry to his role of Division President in Central Texas at Empire Communities. He has an intimate knowledge of all facets of the business, having led the start-up of Trendmaker Homes’ Austin division in one of his previous positions. Terry has remained active in the industry as a prior GHBA Board Member and has spent numerous years supporting both Houston and Austin HomeAid. He graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Raul Avila
VP Finance & Accounting
Raul brings over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting to his role as VP Finance. Most recently, Raul held the position of Vice President of Finance and Accounting for Carbo Ceramics where he was brought on board to restructure a complex organization and provide financial leadership across multiple entities. Raul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Professional Accounting degree from The University of Texas at Arlington. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Texas as well as an AICPA Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Corinne Branch
Director, People & Culture, Texas and Empire Rental Living Divisions
As Senior Manager of Human Capital, Corinne provides advice, coaching and support to leaders and employees alike, while ensuring compliance with federal and state employment laws. She is responsible for ensuring that Human Capital strategic initiatives, programs and processes are implemented within the divisions. Corinne brings 10+ years of experience in Human Resources with a demonstrated history of success in the real estate industry, and is a Senior Certified Professional through the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Previously, she held the role of Regional Human Resources Manager at Lennar Corporation.
Jenni Leccese
Regional Director, Marketing
Jenni’s primary responsibility is to oversee the Texas region as Regional Marketing Director. She joined Empire with 16 years of experience at David Weekley, overseeing creative services, and handling marketing strategy and implementation as Marketing Director and later, Creative Services Manager. Previously, she held the role of Field Marketing Manager where she oversaw 22 markets across the U.S., as well as budget development, ROI and KPI analyses, best practice sharing, marketing strategy and coaching of the field marketing team. She graduated from the University of Houston Downtown with a B.B.A. in Marketing.