Team & Board Members

Team Texas

• • • • • Advisory Board Member

       

Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC)

• • • • • • Executive Committee
          • Mentorship Program
          • Future Leaders Training Program
          • Forward Planning Committee
          • Communications Committee
          • Conference Committee
          • Economic Development Sales Tax Committee
          • Education Committee
          • Membership Committee
          • Political Action Committee
          • Workforce Development Committee

         

International Economic Development Council (IEDC)

• • • • • • International Advisory Committee

Texas Midwest Communities Network (TMCN)

• • • • • Board Member

       

The High Ground of Texas

• • • • • Board Members

       

West Central Texas Council of Governments

• • • • • Chair, Economic Development Advisory Board

       

Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC)

Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC)

YTexas

Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC)

Business Retention Expansion International (BREI)

Texas Food Processors Association (TFPA)

Misty Mayo is an influential economic development professional with more than 35 years of experience in competitive economic growth strategy, execution, and marketing. She serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Development Corporation of Abilene, leading efforts to recruit and retain industry in the Abilene, Texas region.

Since assuming her role in 2019, Mayo has overseen more than 45 company expansion projects, representing over $59 billion in capital investment committed by these companies.

Under her leadership, the Development Corporation of Abilene was named the 2023 International Economic Development Organization of the Year and has received more than 30 international, national, and state recognitions for community impact and economic development excellence over the past five years.

Throughout her career, Mayo has recruited projects for companies such as Oracle, OpenAI, Lancium, Crusoe, Bridgestone Bandag, Great Lakes Cheese, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Amazon, Becton Dickinson, Medtronic’s Diabetes Therapy Headquarters, The Capital Group Companies, as well as Allstate and PETCO shared services centers, among many others.

Mayo is a Master Economic Development Practitioner, a recognized Top 50 Economic Developer in North America, and an appointee to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Economic Incentives Oversight Board.

Mayo currently serves as an Executive Board Member and Vice President of the Texas Economic Development Council and is the organization’s future Chair.

An honors graduate of West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), Mayo was inducted into the WTAMU Communications Hall of Fame in 2016.

Mayo and her husband live in the Abilene, Texas community. They have three children and a grandbaby.

Mayo was raised as an “Army Brat” by a Vietnam Veteran helicopter pilot, living in many states and countries. She considers herself fortunate and proud to spend most of her life as a Texan.

Julie Johncox is an accomplished economic developer and government relations leader. As Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for the Development Corporation of Abilene, she cultivates the vision for the organization, implements new strategies, collaborates with partners and guides the performance of the team. She also oversees capital improvement projects, strategic initiatives, and daily operations.

Julie has an exceptional track record of leadership having served in roles at the local, state and federal levels. She previously held leadership positions in economic development for the Texas State Comptroller, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and she served as the executive for economic development organizations in Amarillo, Texas and New Mexico.

With extensive experience launching initiatives that involve collaborating with community partners and government leaders, she has implemented multi-faceted statewide and regional programs.  Julie discovered a passion for development and commercial real estate projects, including acquisition, planning and historic preservation.

She has extensive leadership training in economic development including being a certified community developer and holds a community development certificate from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, she also has a degree in journalism and public relations from Southwest Texas State University. In addition, she has served on a variety of noteworthy boards, including the Texas Downtown Association, Leadership Women, and currently serves on the PAC Committee for Texas Economic Development Council, International Committee for International Economic Development Council and on the Texas Midwest Communities Network.

Regi McCabe-Gossett oversees the DCOA’s accounting, reporting, financial deal structure and compliance.

Regi has more than a decade of experience managing business and organizational finances in industries including healthcare, government, and insurance. Before joining the DCOA team, Regi was the Business Manager and Privacy Officer for the Texas Midwest Surgery Center and previously served as Senior Insurance Accountant for Parkway Advisors and as an accountant and business manager within the Hendrick Health System.

Regi has a bachelor’s degree in finance, a master’s degree in accounting, and a master’s degree in composition and rhetoric from Abilene Christian University. He is highly involved in the Abilene community and has served on a variety of nonprofit and civic boards, including the United Way of Abilene and the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council.

Brock New is passionate about helping businesses and people thrive. Brock develops and implements strategies for business attraction and expansion projects.

Brock’s background in marketing and sales combined with his experience serving people in the nonprofit sector gives him a personal approach to business development.

Brock was previously the Director of Business Development and Marketing for the Abilene Industrial Foundation, a DCOA partner organization and part of the DevelopAbilene team. He also has experience as an account executive in the merchant services industry and worked as a prevention specialist for Serenity House of Abilene.

Brock is a member of the Texas Economic Development Council’s Future Leaders Training Program and has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Abilene Christian University.

Lindsay Dennis serves leads the organization’s efforts to support the expansion of local industry, including the Business Retention and Expansion Program, as well as Workforce initiatives. Her expertise in building relationships with existing businesses and working on the expansion of primary job employers is critical to her role at DCOA.

Prior to moving to Abilene, she worked to attract businesses, as well as supporting existing industry with local business recruitment and retention efforts in the Central Texas region for almost 10 years. In her previous role she served as the Deputy Director of Economic Development for the Seguin Economic Development Corporation.

With economic development successes at both the State of Texas, and in local communities, Lindsay has assisted with business retention and expansion efforts for companies such as, Caterpillar Inc., Niagara Bottling, and Teijen Automotive Technologies.  Lindsay also served in roles representing the Office of the Governor-Economic Development and Tourism Department under two administrations. In this role, she worked within 60 Texas counties and marketed Texas as one of the world’s premier business locations.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.  Lindsay has served on numerous regional boards and has been active in workforce boards in the State of Texas.  She is a member of Texas Economic Development Council, International Economic Development Council, Business Retention and Expansion International, Southern Economic Development Council, and serves as a board member for the Highground of Texas.