Emily Royall

Emerging Technology Division Head, IT Services Department

City of San Antonio, TX

Emily works at the intersection of public administration and technology to build greater public oversight over emerging technologies and the data that powers them. She is currently Emerging Technology Division Head in the Information & Technology Services Department for the City of San Antonio (her hometown). Emily also serves as Vice Chair of United for Smart and Sustainable Cities, an international collaborative platform led by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UNECE and UN-Habitat. She is a Board Member of UrbanAI, and the GovAI Coalition, a network of over 250 public agencies in the United States working to promote responsible and purposeful AI in the public sector. 

Previously Emily advised UN-Habitat's “People-Centered Smart Cities Flagship Program” and authored six UN playbooks on smart cities for local governments. Emily's professional experience spans academic, non-profit, and government agencies including City Form Labs, a Singapore-based smart cities laboratory, and the Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT). She has several years of public sector experience in digital transformation governance and implementation.  

Emily has published and presented her work in national and international forums including UN-Habitat, StateScoop, UrbanAI, and GovTech Magazine, as well as the World Urban Forum 11th Session and Smart City World Expo. She holds a Masters in City Design & Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Emily Royall

Emerging Technology Division Head, IT Services Department

City of San Antonio, TX

Emily works at the intersection of public administration and technology to build greater public oversight over emerging technologies and the data that powers them. She is currently Emerging Technology Division Head in the Information & Technology Services Department for the City of San Antonio (her hometown). Emily also serves as Vice Chair of United for Smart and Sustainable Cities, an international collaborative platform led by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UNECE and UN-Habitat. She is a Board Member of UrbanAI, and the GovAI Coalition, a network of over 250 public agencies in the United States working to promote responsible and purposeful AI in the public sector. 

Previously Emily advised UN-Habitat's “People-Centered Smart Cities Flagship Program” and authored six UN playbooks on smart cities for local governments. Emily's professional experience spans academic, non-profit, and government agencies including City Form Labs, a Singapore-based smart cities laboratory, and the Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT). She has several years of public sector experience in digital transformation governance and implementation.  

Emily has published and presented her work in national and international forums including UN-Habitat, StateScoop, UrbanAI, and GovTech Magazine, as well as the World Urban Forum 11th Session and Smart City World Expo. She holds a Masters in City Design & Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.