The city announced Dillard’s appointment earlier this month amid several other executive staff moves by the city manager. In the innovation officer capacity, Dillard stands to continue overseeing a number of ongoing projects, including the local smart city efforts, innovation zones and CivTechSA, which is similar to the international Startup in Residence (STiR) program.
Dillard served as chief innovation officer on an interim basis since the departure of innovation officer Jose De La Cruz in November. Prior to that appointment, he was San Antonio’s smart city administrator, a position he took in 2018.
Dillard brings a range of cybersecurity experience to the city from the private sector, having held positions in that discipline with companies like Shell, Lockheed Martin and Delta Risk LLC., according to his LinkedIn profile. He also spent 10 years on active duty with the U.S. Air Force, working then as a cybersecurity specialist as well.
San Antonio, for its part, is somewhat of an ascendant city in terms of tech and innovation work within the municipal government, recently earning accolades for its smart city projects and other undertakings.
