Misty Mayo

President and CEO of the Development Corporation of Abilene, an economic development leader focused on recruiting and retaining industry in the Abilene, Texas region. Her work includes major expansion projects involving OpenAI, Oracle, Lancium, and Crusoe, making her a local public voice on the economic and community impact of OpenAI’s Stargate data-center project in Abilene.

Stargate Turns Rocky West Texas Land Into an AI Tax Base

Abilene local leaders Misty Mayo and Weldon Hurt make a pragmatic case for OpenAI’s Stargate project: a hyperscale AI data center can turn low-value rocky land into taxable property that supports infrastructure, schools, and economic diversification. They present the project less as a tech makeover than as an economic-development bet for a West Texas city that was skeptical of the scale and fit, but saw a chance to capture investment that would otherwise go elsewhere.

OpenAIJun 1, 20264 min read