Designing Technology Cities Can Trust: A Q and A with Chris Lucero

Chris D. Lucero is a 30-plus-year technologist with deep experience spanning emerging technologies, systems engineering, and secure digital infrastructure. After a long career at Intel, where he served as Director of Emerging Technologies and Strategy, Chris has worked across product design, industrial IoT, cybersecurity, and large scale systems that move from concept to production. He is also the founder of Luminos Innovation, has served as CTO for an Arizona cybersecurity startup, and currently chairs the Arizona Technology Council’s Smart Cities and Digital Transformation committee. As The Connective’s Director of Design and Technology, Chris brings a rare combination of technical depth, real-world implementation experience, and a passion for helping cities apply technology in practical, scalable, and trusted ways.

Can you share an overview of your background and the experiences that shaped your approach to design and technology leadership?

As a Mechanical and Systems Engineer, I’ve been able to work in Aerospace, Medical Devices, and Hi Tech Computer-related fields. Always in some cutting edge innovation areas like structural analysis, ultrasonic devices, emerging tech like AI, digital twins, cybersecurity, robotics and automation. 35 years of these fields gave me a fairly well-rounded view of product design from customer needs to mass production.

After working across emerging technology, UX, and secure systems, what drew you to focus your work on public sector and civic innovation?

Our Vice President of Industrial IoT, Christine Boles, was on the board of the Arizona Tech Council, and nominated me for the chairman of the Smart Cities committee. I was accepted and have been leading in that role for the past 5 years. During that time, I have gotten to meet several city representatives and company C-suite leaders. I really enjoy helping cities learn how to apply technology to their most pressing problems.

How does your experience in industrial IoT and large scale technology environments inform how you think about city infrastructure today?

I have a few guiding principles in how I approach my roles:

• Listen to the customer, understand exactly what they need (vs want), and keep asking

• Don’t apply tech for tech’s sake. All too often, I see overly complex solutions which inevitably fail and disappoint the customer

• Be solution-oriented. Start with a small part, evaluate, adjust, and scale

Cities all have similar desires to migrate into the digital age, it’s important to show them what is available, and how it can be used to improve their operations.

What does strong design and technology leadership look like in the context of a smart region rather than a single city or department?

I’d have to say create a long-term roadmap of where the cities want to go in the future (together). Break it down into years, and months, so you can chip away a piece at a time while having that ultimate direction. Remind the cities that they are similar in that there is interdependence of services (roads, emergency plans, water conservation, power generation, etc.) Try to create a win-win scenario for them, as well as the citizens of Arizona.

One of your strengths is translating complex systems into tools people can actually use. How does human-centered design improve trust and adoption in civic technology?

I have always enjoyed learning the details behind the various emerging tech, and breaking it down for the folks just wanting to understand how things work. If done carefully, and thoughtfully (i.e., centered on city and citizen needs), the customers will “get it” and thank you for explaining it to them, which builds trust and confidence in the relationship. In addition, it is always good advice to not overpromise and under deliver, rather, delight the customer with a clean, practical solution that meets their needs.

Cities often struggle to move from pilots to scalable solutions. Based on your experience, what needs to be in place for technology to scale successfully?

Start small, understand the Product Lifecycle, and Technology Readiness Levels.  Don’t shoot too high initially and get frustrated. Start with an MVP that solves one problem, then go from there. Ask for help. Collaboration is also key to success. Ensure cities know the budget requirements to scale and work with them to secure budget funding across the project timeline.

Security and resilience are becoming foundational requirements. How should cities think about long term security, including post quantum readiness, as they modernize?

Securing customer data should be a top 3 priority for any technology company or municipality. This is what’s most important to customers and citizens. As Quantum computing matures, the threats of breaking today’s encryption standards increases.  

Luckily, there are smart people working on this, like at NIST.

How will your role at The Connective help cities navigate procurement, legacy systems, and resource constraints more effectively?

To help cities chart and achieve their digital transformation goals means I’m doing my job. I find purpose in helping others use technology to accomplish tasks more efficiently, safely, and with less resources. Hopefully, we can talk in a year and look back on several examples of how our cities made progress within existing resource constraints and procurement systems.

How can cities, technology partners, and regional stakeholders engage with you and The Connective to move this work forward?

Many of the cities are already members. We will be revisiting those relationships in 2026 with new focus on helping tackle their top challenges within their municipalities and throughout the state. My goal is to be the “connective tissue” for The Connective and cross-pollinate solutions in the valley. Lean on us to help you, that’s what we’re here for. And for those cities who are not members or on the fence, what are you waiting for? 

Give us a chance, we won’t let you down…