City Commission and Staff

Robert “Bobby” Peden is the inaugural mayor of Starbase, Texas. Elected in May 2025, Bobby brings over a decade of experience at SpaceX, where he currently serves as Vice President of Texas Test and Launch. Bobby began his career at SpaceX in 2013 as a ground support equipment engineer at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. He transitioned to Starbase in December 2023 to oversee testing and launch operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Arkansas Tech University and a master’s in engineering mechanics from the University of Texas. A longtime Texas resident, Bobby lives in Starbase Village with his family.

Jordan Buss is helping shape the future of Starbase, Texas, as one of its first city commissioners. A seasoned environmental, health, and safety executive, Buss was elected in May 2025 to serve on the inaugural city government of the newly incorporated municipality built around SpaceX’s rocket development and launch complex near Boca Chica Beach. Currently serving as Senior Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at SpaceX, Buss brings vast experience in risk management, emergency preparation and response, regulatory compliance, and partnership with local communities. He joined SpaceX in 2023 after building a career in the energy sector, where he held leadership roles in environmental, health, and safety functions both domestically and internationally. Buss earned his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and currently resides in Starbase Village with his family.

Jenna Petrzelka, a Brownsville, Texas resident since 2021, brings over a decade of aerospace manufacturing and operations to her role as Starbase Commissioner. Petrzelka began her career at SpaceX in 2012 as an Avionics Process Engineer in Hawthorne, California supporting Falcon reusability and the introduction of Dragon Crew.  She later served as Manager of Operations Engineering at Starbase, contributing to the expanding manufacturing operations and introducing SpaceX's Star factory, an approximately one million square-foot manufacturing space.

Beyond her engineering work, in 2022, Petrzelka has engaged in local volunteering through the Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville, a non profit assisting migrants and the homeless. Petrzelka holds two degrees from Iowa State University.  She moved to Starbase in 2022 with her family.  As commissioner, she aims to help shape Starbase's development as a hub for space exploration and community growth.

Dr. Kent Myers, PhD, is the inaugural City Administrator of Starbase and brings four decades of municipal leadership to the role. A FortWorth native, he began his career as Converse, Texas’s first City Manager andwent on to serve in Casa Grande, Arizona; Hot Springs, Arkansas; Port Angeles,Washington; and Fredericksburg, Texas, where he was City Manager for ten years.Dr. Myers holds a BA in from the University of Texas at Arlington, an MPA fromTexas Christian University, and earned his PhD in Leadership Studies from OurLady of the Lake University in 2021.