Editor's Note: This article was originally published by HOA Connect Houston, an organization dedicated to providing education, support, networking opportunities, and advocacy for HOA board members throughout the Greater Houston area. This month, HOA board member Hugh Durlam was recognized in HOA Connect Houston's HOA Board Member Spotlight series.

For nearly two decades, Hugh Durlam has watched children grow up in Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch.

He’s seen them ride bikes through the neighborhood, race through summer parties, march in Christmas parades, and eventually leave home for college and careers. Some have even returned years later to raise families of their own.

Those moments—not budgets, board meetings, or neighborhood projects—are what stay with him.

For Durlam, serving as President of the Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch HOA has never really been about managing an association. It’s been about helping preserve the kind of neighborhood that feels increasingly rare: a place where neighbors know one another, families gather together, and community still means something.

The funny thing is, he never planned on becoming the face of that effort.

“My wife and I both lived in less desirable areas in Houston before we got married. When we got engaged, we started looking for where we wanted to plant our roots and raise a family. We were looking at the west side of Houston, anywhere between Cypress and Sugar Land. I was helping a friend move into his new house and it happened to be in this quaint little gated community called Canyon Gate. I just fell in love with it and couldn’t wait to show my Bride.”

What started as a chance visit eventually became home.

Today, the Durlams have raised three children in Canyon Gate—two daughters who are now adults and a ten-year-old son who is helping close out what he jokingly calls this chapter of family life. Along the way, neighbors became close friends, and close friends became family.

That sense of connection would eventually shape not only where he lived, but how he chose to serve.

The Guy Behind the HOA Title

Spend a few minutes talking with Durlam and it quickly becomes clear he doesn’t fit the stereotype many people have of HOA leaders.

He’s as likely to be talking about barbecue competitions, floating a river with his wife and a cooler of beer, or cheering from the sidelines of his son’s games as he is discussing reserve studies and community budgets.

Service, however, has been the common thread throughout much of his life.

Whether helping neighbors, serving in underserved communities across Fort Bend County, or volunteering internationally, Durlam has long gravitated toward roles where he can solve problems and help people.

That instinct is part of what led him toward a career in business development and project management, and more recently, toward launching a mediation firm.

The fit feels natural.

He describes himself as a problem-solver by nature—someone who enjoys bringing people together, finding common ground, and helping move difficult situations toward resolution.

Those skills would eventually prove invaluable during one of Canyon Gate’s darkest chapters.

When Harvey Changed Everything

Every community has defining moments.

For Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch, Hurricane Harvey was one of them.

While residents were focused on protecting their families and salvaging their homes, Durlam found himself carrying a second responsibility: helping guide an entire neighborhood through recovery.

“Going through Harvey and not only having to repair my home and get my family taken care of during that time but also having to lead an entire community back from disaster. Imagine the logistics of that. But God had prepared me for that and I was willing to follow His lead, whether I wanted to or not.”

The experience left a lasting mark on both Durlam and the community.

It also helped shape many of the priorities that still drive HOA decisions today, including stronger financial reserves, emergency preparedness planning, and closer coordination with first responders and emergency management officials.

In many ways, Harvey transformed HOA leadership from a volunteer role into a mission.

The Part Most People Don’t See

Residents often see the results of HOA work.

They see community events.

They see landscaping improvements.

They see holiday celebrations.

What they don’t always see are the late-night emails, difficult conversations, budget workshops, project management challenges, and criticism that often come with volunteer leadership.

Durlam is candid about that reality.

“It never ends. I recently found myself getting jaded about that and started becoming quite cynical. I really had to step back and take a break and remember why I do this in the first place. It’s not about me. It’s about what needs to be done.”

It’s an unusually honest admission from a community leader.

Yet it’s also what makes his story relatable.

Anyone who has volunteered their time, coached youth sports, led a nonprofit, or served on a board understands the feeling. The work often happens quietly. The criticism is usually louder than the praise.

And still, people continue showing up.

For Durlam, the reason is simple.

Building a Neighborhood—and a Sense of Belonging

Ask him what accomplishment he’s most proud of, and he doesn’t point to a single project.

Instead, he points to the culture that has been built around the neighborhood.

The Summer Kickoff celebrations.

The Halloween events.

The Christmas festivities.

The informal “Breakfast with a Board Member” gatherings.

The creatively named “Whiskey and Whine” conversations.

All of it serves the same purpose: helping neighbors become something more than people who happen to live near each other.

“I love not only building a community, but also building a sense of community by putting together fun events, making the board more accessible like hosting ‘Breakfast with a Board Member’ or ‘Whiskey and Whine’, which are less formal affairs where residents feel more comfortable approaching with questions or ideas while getting to know each other better.”

For Durlam, that’s where community truly happens.

Not online.

Not in HOA documents.

But face-to-face.

What He Hopes People Remember

Eventually, every volunteer leader steps away.

When that day comes, Durlam says he doesn’t want to be remembered for budgets, policies, or board votes.

He hopes residents remember the memories.

The friendships.

The traditions.

The feeling of growing up in a neighborhood where people cared.

“Honestly, it’s the kids that come back, who are now adults, and really appreciate the memories they had growing up here. You never know if what you’re doing is making a difference or having an impact, but then someone tells you about some small thing you did that made such an impact in their life, and that really fills my heart.”

It’s a sentiment that captures what may be his most enduring contribution to Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch.

Not simply maintaining a neighborhood, but helping create the kind of place people remember long after they’ve moved away.

And in one of the fastest-growing regions of Texas, that’s a legacy that can’t be measured by a balance sheet.

By Tiffany Krenek, HOA Connect Houston