In recognition of outstanding contributions for over 40 years in the management of application software development, his leadership in the growth of a start-up banking software company to an internationally known firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and his commitment to strong product quality while leading the transition in banking and finance from manual processing to high speed automation, the School of Computing of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln proudly inducts Donald F. Dillon into the Nebraska Hall of Computing.
Donald F. Dillon was born in Alliance, Nebraska, the eighth of ten children of Tom and Katherine Dillon. He attended a one-room country school until his family moved to Alliance, where he attended a parochial grade and high school. Upon graduation from high school, he attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado, and then transferred to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he received his degree. After his graduation from college, he enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard and upon ending his active duty assignment in 1966, he went to work for the National Bank of Commerce in Lincoln, Nebraska. He started work as a computer operator, was then a programmer, systems analyst, and ultimately a Senior Vice President and Director of the Information Management.
In 1976, Dillon and associate, Dale Jensen, recognized that the continuing miniaturization and cost-reductions of computer hardware could make the power of the computer available to the full-range of financial institutions, from the largest to the smallest of banks. They foresaw the potential for software that could meet the needs of these institutions. The software would have to be sophisticated enough to meet the ever-increasing demands of the banking industry and would require an on-going maintenance and support system. Together, they left their banking positions and founded Information Technology, Incorporated (ITI) , which grew to become a leading national provider of banking software and services. Developing a completely new line of software systems for financial institutions allowed them to take advantage of the latest innovations in computer hardware, without being limited to the older constructs of the existing software systems. Although the original market for these products was institutions being serviced by larger banks and independent processing firms, it was not long before larger and larger institutions, including the processing firms themselves, recognized the power and superior functionality of these systems. Now, well over 2,700 of the U.S. banks, savings institutions and processing firms are users of ITI’s products and services. In May of 1995, ITI was acquired by Fiserv, Inc., and Dillon became Vice Chairman and a member of the Executive Committee for that firm. In July of 2000, Dillon became Chairman of the Board of Directors for Fiserv and also continues in his position as Chairman of ITI.
Fiserv, Inc (NASDAQ: FISV), a Fortune 500 company, provides information management and electronic commerce systems and services to the financial and insurance industries. Headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., the company is the leading provider of core processing solutions for U.S. banks, credit unions, and thrifts. Fiserv was ranked as the largest provider of information technology services to the financial services industry worldwide in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 FinTech 100 surveys. The company serves more than 18,000 clients, including every one of the top 100 banks in the United States. In 2007, the company completed the acquisition of CheckFree, a leading provider of electronic commerce services. Fiserv reported nearly $4 billion in total revenue from continuing operations for 2007.
Dillon has over 40 years of experience in the financial and data processing industries. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Nebraska Foundation; a member of the University of Nebraska’s Directors Club, a Trustee of the Nebraska State Historical Society and formerly served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee Member for Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. Dillon is also a Board Member of the Dillon Foundation, which he created in 1997 and which has granted several million dollars to various humanitarian and educational organizations within the State of Nebraska.
In addition to his Fiserv Chairmanship, Dillon is active in various real estate and resort development activities along with investments in and support of high-tech start up companies.