Jose De La Cruz was appointed as the City’s first Chief Innovation Officer in March 2016. As the Chief Innovation Officer, Mr. De La Cruz leads the Office of Innovation in efforts to improve City processes, manage major initiatives, and foster a culture of innovation within the City organization.
Mr. De La Cruz is responsible for executing the annual work plan of projects for the Office of Innovation that is approved by the Executive Leadership Team, the performance management process and San Antonio’s Smart City Program. Prior to becoming the Chief Innovation Officer, Mr. De La Cruz worked as an Innovation Manager and a Senior Performance & Management Specialist where he led various projects across multiple City departments.
Mr. De La Cruz came to the City in November 2012 from the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), where he served as the Quality & Training Manager for the Customer Service Department. In this role, Mr. De La Cruz oversaw the department’s annual strategic planning process, performance management system, and managed the department’s training programs. Mr. De La Cruz oversaw a team that was responsible for process analysis, performance management, training, and quality assurance. Prior to this position, Mr. De La Cruz also held various management and supervisory positions in the call center and billing divisions.
Mr. De La Cruz attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where he received his undergraduate and Master of Public Administration degrees. He has also obtained certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB).