Economic Incentive Oversight Board

The Economic Incentive Oversight Board was established by House Bill 26 during the 84^th Legislative Session. The Board is composed of nine public members appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and Comptroller of Public Accounts. At least one of the appointees of the Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House must be from a rural county. Each appointing officer shall appoint at least one member who has expertise in the area of economic development. Administration of the Board is the responsibility of the Office of the Governor.

The Board has been charged with examining the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and funds administered by the Office of the Governor (OOG), the Comptroller of Public Accounts (TDA), and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) that award to business entities and other persons state monetary or tax incentives for which the OOG, CPA, or TDA has discretion in determining whether or not to award the incentives. Monetary incentives may include grants, loans, or tax incentives paid from state revenues.

The Board is required to develop a performance matrix that clearly establishes the economic performance indicators, measures, and metrics that will guide the Board’s evaluations of those programs and funds. The Board also is also tasked with developing a schedule for the periodic review of each state incentive program or fund that meets the statutory requirement for review by the Board. For each review conducted, the Board is to make recommendations regarding whether to continue the program or improve the program’s effectiveness and efficiency. The Board may also recommend to the Legislative Audit Committee that an audit of the program be conducted.

Finally, the Board is required to submit a Biennial Report to the Legislature containing findings and recommendations resulting from each review.

View the Texas Statute

Board Meetings

Reports

Members (Governor Appointees)

Chairman, Massey Villarreal of Sugar Land is CEO and president of Precision Task Group, Inc. He is a board member of the Lone Star College Foundation and the American Red Cross Greater Houston Chapter, and is a former chairman and former member of the Texas Economic Development Corporation and the Texas State University System Board of Regents. He is former chairman of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he has served on boards for Bio Houston, Houston Technology Center, Houston Community College Foundation, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Houston Final Four Committee and Houston Super Bowl XXXVIII. Villarreal received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Serves as Presiding Officer. Appointed January 15, 2016. Term expires at the pleasure of the Governor.

Barbara D’Amato of Dallas is the founder and CEO of Trilogy Brands Group. She is a former speaker at the World Economic Forum and was also appointed delegate for the development of global strategic relationships by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previously, D’Amato served as Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager at BNP Paribas-Bank of the West, Vice President for Comerica Bank, and Vice President and Credit Risk Officer for Bank of America. She is a member of the Harvard Alumni Association, National Association of Corporate Directors, Association for Corporate Growth, and Business Journals Leadership Trust. Additionally, D’Amato was a founding board director and board chair for Pretend City-The Children’s Museum and former member of the Southern California Advisory Board for Seneca Family of Agencies. D’Amato received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and completed her Post Graduate Executive Education at Harvard Business School.

Dan West of Houston is an investor at SCF Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm that partners with energy services, equipment, and technology companies. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and its Oil, Gas, and Energy Resources Law Section. Additionally, he serves as Board Chairman of Brillante Academy, board member of the Boy Scouts of America and the Sam Houston Area Council, term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and member of the International & National Security Law Executive Committee of the Federalist Society and the WorkTexas Advisory Board. West received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College, a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who received an honorable discharge at the rank of Captain in 2013.

Members (Lieutenant Governor Appointees)

Anne Windfohr “Windi” Grimes of Houston is the director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and serves as a trustee for the Post Oak School and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. In addition, Grimes is a philanthropist who has hosted numerous events to benefit charities and organizations. Grimes received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Houston. Appointed October 13, 2016. Term expires at the pleasure of the Lieutenant Governor.

Vacancy

Members (Speaker of the House of Representatives Appointees)

Jim Goldsworthy of Gainesville has served as mayor of Gainesville since 2011 and served as a council member from 2005 to 2011. In addition, he has worked as a State Farm agent since 1992 and is a past president of the Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Goldsworthy received his education at Oklahoma State University. Appointed October 24, 2016. Term expires at the pleasure of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Mike Rosa of Dallas is the Senior Vice President of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s economic development program, a position he has held for 10 years. From 2002 to 2004, prior to joining the Dallas Regional Chamber, Mike was a Senior Vice President with the Buxton Company, a Fort Worth-based consulting firm that selects locations for prominent national retailers and helps cities with retail-oriented economic development programs. For 14 years from 1988 through 2002, Mike was with the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce economic development department and promoted to lead the economic development team as Senior Vice President of Economic Development. In 2015, he served as chairman of the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC), the 800-member statewide organization for economic developers. Mike leads the DFW Marketing Team, the network of economic development professionals representing cities throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Mike holds a Master of Science degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Bachelor of Science degree in regional planning, also from Southern Miss. Appointed October 24, 2016. Term expires at the pleasure of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Members (Comptroller Appointees)

Dale Fowler of Victoria is an Economic and Business Development Manager for AEP – Texas. Formerly, he served as president of the Victoria Economic Development Corporation from 2001 to 2021. He is also a certified economic developer with the International Economic Development Council and is past board chairman of the Texas Economic Development Council. Dale has a Bachelor’s degree from University of Houston Victoria, and has graduated from University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Calhoun Victoria County Foreign Trade Zone. Appointed February 5, 2016. Term expires at the pleasure of the Comptroller.

Misty Mayo is a distinguished economic development professional with over 30 years of marketing and economic development experience. As President and CEO of the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA), she leads the 2023 International Economic Development Organization of the Year. Mayo has driven DCOA’s initiatives since 2019, facilitating over 40 company expansions and securing $4.4 billion in capital investments for Abilene. Her leadership has earned Abilene recognition as a top city for economic impact. Before joining DCOA, Mayo was President and CEO of the Boerne/Kendall County Economic Development Corporation and Executive Vice President at the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. She has been instrumental in attracting major companies like Great Lakes Cheese and Medtronic to Texas. Mayo is an honors graduate of West Texas A&M University. She currently serves as Vice President on the Board of the Texas Economic Development Council. Raised as an “Army Brat,” Misty considers Texas home.