Before joining the UT Knoxville and the UT System, Ramon Padilla led information technology departments in government and higher education. From 2014 to 2020, Ramon led the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ information technology services as Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer. Other positions he has held include Associate Vice Chancellor and Deputy Chief Information Officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011-2013), Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer for the State University System of Florida Board of Governors (2005-2010), and Chief Information Officer for the Jefferson County Government/Louisville Metro Government in Louisville, Kentucky. He was also an adjunct instructor at the University of Louisville and a freelance writer for CNET/TechRepublic. He has sat on the boards of multiple higher education institutions, including Florida LambdaRail and NWRDC.
Padilla earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Kentucky in 1984 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Louisville in 1987.