Fort Worth assembles commission to guide data center policy

Eleven commission members have been selected to serve on the Fort Worth Data Center & Infrastructure Commission (DCIC) to support the City’s ongoing work to develop clear standards for data center development in Fort Worth.

On Aug. 11, the City Council adopted a resolution directing the city manager to convene an expert panel to study several areas related to data center development: electricity and energy, water use, land‑use compatibility, neighborhood impacts and economic development considerations. Mike Slattery Ph.D., professor and director of the Institute for Environmental Studies in the Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering at Texas Christian University, was tapped to lead the effort, to include selecting commission members, coordinating the commission’s work, overseeing research support and preparing the final report to be delivered to the City Council on Nov. 3.

The commission’s members, as selected by Slattery, reflect broad expertise across infrastructure, environment, community perspectives and industry operations and will support a rigorous evaluation process:

David Berzina, Vice President, JLL

Rev. Vernon Elisher, President, Youth & Family Community Outreach Inc.

Krista Erbe, Community Organizer, 2871 Community Coalition

Dr. Nick Fang, Robert S. Gooch Endowed Professor in Civil Engineering and head of the Water Engineering Research Center (WERC), University of Texas at Arlington

Andrew Franko, Principal, Freese and Nichols

Rusty Fuller, President, North Fort Worth Alliance

Tobi Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, Fort Worth SPARC

Ryan Kuithe, Senior Vice President of Facility Operations, QTS Data Centers

John MacFarlane, Executive Committee Member – Conservation, Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club

Dr. Stathis Michaeledes, W.A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr. Founding Chair of Engineering at Texas Christian University

Ambika Sharma, Community Organizer

The five community representative positions (Elisher, Erbe, Fuller, Jackson and Sharma) were selected from names submitted for consideration by City Councilmembers.

In addition to the commission’s voting members, several academic partners have signed on to support DCIC research and synthesis throughout the process. These contributors will help conduct literature reviews, analyze data center impacts and ensure the commission’s recommendations are grounded in peer‑reviewed evidence.

Dr. Seth Hall (Engineering, Texas Christian University)

Dr. Zack Hawley (Economics, Texas Christian University)

Dr. Mohammad Islam (Computer Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington)

Dr. Gehendra Kharel (Environmental and Geological Sciences, Texas Christian University)

Dr. Morgan Kiani (Engineering, Texas Christian University)

Dr. Weiwei Liu (Economics, Texas Christian University)

Dr. Tom Seng (Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Texas Christian University)

Dr. Bingyang Wei (Computer Science, Texas Christian University)

Dr. Fengqi You (Engineering, Cornell University)

Dr. Yang Zhou (Economics, University of North Texas)

Additional contributors may be added as the DCIC’s work continues.

The commission and academic contributors will begin work at Slattery’s direction this week, continuing through October and leading to a final report being delivered to City Council at the Nov. 3 Work Session.

Residents are encouraged to stay informed and engaged as Fort Worth evaluates its regulatory framework for data center development. Additional updates and FAQs are available online. fortworthtexas.gov/datacenters

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