THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN FOCUS
THE CITY SAN ANTONIO
CITY OF ANTONIO
THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN FOCUS
DRIVING ECONOMIC GROWTH
THROUGH CULTURE AND CONNECTIVITY
Project by: Malvern Kandemwa
Words by: Michelle Duncan
From cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity to intelligent traffic management and digital citizen services, San Antonio’s technology landscape continues to expand at pace. At the heart of this progress, the City’s Information Technology Services Department is driving innovation to ensure San Antonio remains secure, agile, and ready to meet future challenges.
For all its rich and colourful history, the city of San Antonio possesses a distinctly modern edge. As the second-most populous city in the southern United States and the sixth-largest nationwide, maintaining a resilient and high-performing IT infrastructure is not just important, it is essential.
That strength is evident in the work of San Antonio’s Information Technology Services Department (ITSD), whose strategic vision and technical expertise continue to power the city’s digital evolution. Under the leadership of
outgoing CIO Craig Hopkins, the department remains firmly focused on future readiness.
“We manage a portfolio of around 700 enterprise and line-of-business applications,” explains Chief Technology Officer Kevin Goodwin.
“That spans everything from core engineering platforms to critical support systems. At any given time, we’re delivering approximately 75 active projects, including new implementations, system upgrades, and large-scale modernisation initiatives.”
While Hopkins’ leadership has laid a strong foundation rooted in product management principles, Goodwin explains that the team has built on that momentum and evolved it further.
“As our technology vendors have changed over time, we’ve remained consistent in focusing on what we do best managing servers within our own data centres,” he says. “That’s where our strengths lie. We have deep expertise, strong capacity, and well-established capabilities, and we’ve successfully extended those into cloud and hybrid environments.”
While ITSD’s core technology partners continue to introduce advanced cloud platform capabilities, the department has leveraged its deep data centre expertise to successfully manage and optimise applications across cloud and hybrid environments.
“We talk about ‘run, grow and transform’ as the three reasons IT exists,” explains Goodwin. “That means maintaining reliable operations, enabling continuous improvement, and driving meaningful transformation across the organisation.”
Supporting this mission is a leadership team that brings together specialised expertise across infrastructure, digital services, and cybersecurity. This includes Assistant IT Director of Infrastructure John Rodriguez, Digital Experience Division Head Catia Jendrzey, and Chief Information Security Officer Shannon Lawson.
“These are the leaders who build strong customer relationships and collaborate with matrix teams across the organisation to deliver outcomes,” Goodwin adds. “Their ability to connect people, technology, and business needs is essential to making things happen.”
Jendrzey explains that one of her primary focuses has been simplifying and modernising San Antonio’s digital operations, an undertaking made complex by the scale and diversity of the city’s technology environment.
“We currently have 17 case management systems that we are working to consolidate into a smaller number of more integrated platforms,” she explains. “Our business relationship managers (BRMs) are responsible for stra-
tegic planning and engagement with customers, but when I first joined, their role was primarily reactive—they were responding to departmental requests rather than helping teams think strategically about their future needs.”
Transforming that mindset has required time, collaboration, and a shift in expectations across the organisation. “Changing the behaviour of both the BRMs and our customers has been a journey,” Jendrzey adds. “However,
they are increasingly recognising the value of having a strategic technology partner that helps them anticipate challenges, plan effectively, and identify opportunities ahead of time.”
Through these digital transformation initiatives, supported by strategic partners such as managed IT services and support provider Computer Solutions, ITSD is helping strengthen San Antonio’s broader technology ecosystem. The department’s capabili-
ties enable businesses operating in the city to access advanced enterprise infrastructure and tailored digital solutions.
From solution design and system configuration to SAP environments and web-based applications, San Antonio continues to build a technology foundation that supports innovation, operational efficiency, and business growth for organisations choosing the city as their base.
Leadership Focus Craig Hopkins
Craig Hopkins, Chief Information Officer for the City of San Antonio, has emerged as a national voice for government innovation—combining bold vision with a practical, people-first approach. Under his leadership, San Antonio is executing one of the most ambitious public sector digital transformations in Texas, powered by SAP S/4HANA Cloud and the RISE with SAP program.
Hopkins recognized early that technology alone doesn’t transform government— people and process do. He built a culture of collaboration, engaging stakeholders across every department to reimagine workflows, eliminate friction, and prepare the organization for the future. With SAP S/4HANA RISE solutions, including its Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), Payroll, and Time Tracking, the city is simplifying operations, ensuring compliance, and creating real-time insights that drive accountability and faster service delivery.
This modernization touches every corner of city government. Finance teams are empowered with accurate, timely data; HR can onboard and pay employees with greater speed and transparency; and city leaders have access to dashboards that support smarter, more agile decision-making. By adopting a “single source of truth,” San Antonio is breaking down silos and creating a unified foundation for innovation.
On the procurement front, the city has embraced the SAP Ariba suite—Ariba Strategic Sourcing, the Ariba Business Network, Ariba Catalogs, Ariba Buying & Invoicing, and
DocuSign Signature Management—while leveraging SAP Preferred Success services to ensure maximum value. The results include more transparent supplier engagement, streamlined purchasing cycles, and stronger fiscal stewardship. Citizens benefit directly, as resources can be redirected from administrative overhead to public safety, infrastructure, and community programs.
What sets Hopkins apart is his commitment to people. He has prioritized change management, training, and performance benchmarking to ensure employees are not just adapting but thriving in this new digital environment. His team’s emphasis on agile governance and continuous improvement makes innovation sustainable, not just a one-time project milestone.
The city’s progress demonstrates what’s possible when strong leadership meets world-class technology. Together, Hopkins and SAP are proving that cloud-enabled government can be more responsive, transparent, and resilient. By unifying operations on SAP’s intelligent suite and empowering staff with modern tools, San Antonio has positioned itself as a national model for digital government—delivering measurable value today while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.
Thanks to Craig Hopkins’s vision and the city’s deep partnership with SAP, San Antonio is no longer just keeping pace with change—it is setting the standard for how cities can harness enterprise technology to better serve their people.
“We’ve also introduced the Tech Hub, which gives customers access to hands-on, face-to-face support,” explains Jendrzey.
“People really value that personal interaction. Many customers prefer the opportunity to speak directly with someone and receive immediate assistance rather than relying solely on phone-based support. It’s an important part of our approach because when city employees have the right tools and support, they are better equipped to deliver exceptional services to residents. That has been a major focus for us.”
Rodriguez describes ITSD as an organisation responsible for maintaining the city’s critical technology operations while continuously adapting to emerging demands.
“We are the builders and enablers of technology across the city,” he says. “Our responsibilities span a vast environment, including enterprise networks, data centres, cloud platforms, aviation systems, and public safety infrastructure. We manage approximately 1,400 traffic intersections across San Antonio, and we are also responsible for the city’s regional public safety radio system.”
With such a broad technology portfolio, Rodriguez identifies data management and the rapid pace of innovation as some of the department’s greatest challenges.
“The environment is changing incredibly quickly,” he explains. “Take autonomous vehicles as an example. Technologies such as Waymo and other emerging platforms are looking to leverage the infrastructure we already have in
place, which means we have to continually adapt our systems to support new capabilities.”
Artificial intelligence represents another significant area of opportunity and responsibility. “AI can analyse and extract insights from data at extraordinary speed, but if information is not properly classified and managed, there is a risk of exposing confidential or strategically sensitive data,” Rodriguez adds. “The biggest challenge we face is keeping pace with how rapidly technology continues to evolve.”
At the core of ITSD’s ‘One Team. One Mission’ philosophy is a culture built on trust—trust among city leadership, within departmental teams, and across the wider organisation. This confidence has enabled ITSD to take on a broader role in managing
and advancing many of the city’s most critical operations.
That same commitment to collaboration and innovation has also shaped the department’s partnerships with leading technology providers, including Accela, whose cloud-based solutions help government organisations deliver more efficient and connected services.
“We’ve been entrusted with a greater level of responsibility than many traditional IT organisations because we have earned that confidence,” Rodriguez explains. “A large part of that comes from Craig’s leadership; he has done an exceptional job of inspiring the team while building and sustaining the trust needed to take on this expanded role.”
As one of ITSD’s newest leaders, Lawson joined the department as Chief Information Securi-
ty Officer in January, bringing extensive cybersecurity experience from previous CISO roles with the state of Alaska and the city of Phoenix. His background enabled him to quickly assess the organisation’s security landscape and identify opportunities for continued improvement.
“Every organisation has its own unique structure and challenges, so my first priority has been understanding the team, evaluating our current approach, and determining where we can further strengthen our operations,” Lawson explains. “Based on my experience, we are refining certain processes and aligning talent so that people are positioned in roles where they can make the greatest impact.”
Lawson was immediately impressed by the capability and dedication of ITSD’s cybersecurity professionals.
“This team is already operating at a level that is ahead of many organisations I’ve worked with,” he says. “Our focus now is on continuous improvement building on the strong foundation that already exists, refining our processes, and enhancing our capabilities.”
With a commitment to collaboration, innovation, and resilience, Lawson believes ITSD is well positioned to continue advancing its cybersecurity maturity while supporting San Antonio’s broader digital transformation journey.
“As we continue to evolve and strengthen what we do, we will be prepared to move forward with confidence, clarity, and purpose,” he adds.
With a highly capable team in place and significant momentum driving both ITSD and the wider city forward, Hopkins believes the time is right to transition leader-
ship and hand responsibility to the next generation of innovators. Reflecting on his tenure, he emphasises that every achievement has been the result of a collective effort built on trust, collaboration, and shared purpose.
“Nine years went by incredibly quickly,” he says. “When I joined, I was new to public service, and we were entrusted with a number of critical operational responsibilities that extended beyond traditional IT. These responsibilities were all focused on advancing digital government, improving resilience, and strengthening continuity of operations across the city.”
“I hope I’ve helped reinforce the principles of ‘People First. Mission Always’ and ‘One Team. One Mission’ a culture where we pursue excellence together every day while continuing to support one another,” he reflects.
“Like any strong team, we remain committed to serving our community, looking out for each other, and being ready to respond whenever we are called upon. Our purpose has always been rooted in making a meaningful difference for the greater good together.” FIND
