James Wilkinson

James Wilkinson is the chief information security officer of the City of Dallas, a role he began on August 17, 2026. The city says he leads Dallas' enterprise information security program and works to strengthen cyber resilience across critical systems, public services and city departments.

Career path

Wilkinson's cybersecurity career started in the US Marine Corps before he progressed to the US Army Special Operations Command Central. He went on to serve as an Executive IT Fellow at Microsoft for a year, then moved to US Cyber Command before becoming CIO for the F-35 program at Lockheed Martin. At MUFG Bank he held the role of Head of Disaster Recovery and later Head of Third-Party Application Engagement. Across the Army and Marine Corps he completed 26 years of military service, including senior cyber leadership assignments. He also held senior leadership positions at MUFG Bank, Lockheed Martin and Wells Fargo. Before joining Dallas, Wilkinson served as CEO of Ethan Solutions, a technology and risk advisory firm. His appointment as Dallas CISO was confirmed in national reporting on new CISO moves, which described him as a 25-year industry veteran with experience spanning national security, financial services, aerospace and defense.

Remit and public statements

Wilkinson's experience spans enterprise technology strategy, cybersecurity governance, operational resilience, cloud modernization, disaster recovery and board advisory work. Speaking on his appointment, he said, "I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the people of Dallas." Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert noted that his leadership across national security, financial services and mission-critical technology environments would support the city's cybersecurity efforts, and that his experience would help protect city services, support modernization and reinforce public trust.

Education

Wilkinson holds a master's degree in cybersecurity risk and strategy from New York University School of Law and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, a Master of Arts in computer resource and information management from Webster University, and a bachelor's degree in marketing from Morehouse College. As a student in NYU's cybersecurity risk and strategy program, he said he was seeking a deeper understanding of risk and strategy at the intersection of technology, law and policy. He has also described cybersecurity as a challenge that resists being placed neatly into an enterprise framework.