Palm Beach County panel appoints Kalinthia Dillard as inspector general after finalist interviews

The inspector general selection committee for Palm Beach County unanimously appointed Kalinthia Dillard as the county’s new inspector general after interviewing two finalists and completing secret-ballot voting.

The committee convened, heard a recap of the recruitment from Paul Matteoto, recruitment selection manager in Human Resources, and conducted round‑robin interviews with Kalinthia Dillard, who serves as general counsel and deputy inspector general in the county OIG, and Jim Kirdar, a career oversight professional with prior service at the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. "I've been an attorney for 27 years," Dillard said, describing her work leading training, report writing and internal investigations in the OIG and citing statewide work that resulted in a statutory amendment to enhance staff protections.

Dillard and Kirdar each stressed staffing and resources as primary challenges. Kirdar said the OIG needs sufficient subject-matter experts and funding to staff oversight across the county's municipalities; he noted that an ordinance once contemplated approximately 40 FTEs for the office. Dillard cited budget pressures and IT needs, and singled out artificial intelligence as both a potential efficiency and a risk that requires governance and staff training: "We have to be mindful of the need for a governance structure," she said, urging caution about bias and manipulated evidence when using AI for document review or interview summaries.

On leadership, Dillard emphasized a hands-on, collaborative approach: she said she would continue weekly leadership meetings and monthly all-staff sessions, reinstate meetings with county division heads and prioritize transparency and outreach so the community understands the OIG's jurisdiction and work. Kirdar said his leadership priorities are "clarity, empowerment and fostering integrity," and described plans for regular leadership and all‑staff meetings to promote collaboration between audit and investigations.

After the interviews, the committee completed secret ballots. Chair Romano announced the result: "The person that the commission has chosen to lead the inspector general's office is Kalinthia Dillard." A motion and second were placed on the record to approve the appointment and the committee voted unanimously.

The committee also addressed next steps for onboarding. Under the applicable ordinance the committee must delegate an individual from the commission on ethics to negotiate the contract terms with Human Resources and the county attorney; Commissioner Cruz was nominated and confirmed to perform that negotiation. Committee members clarified that the negotiated contract will still require final approval by the Board of County Commissioners and will not take effect until that Board action.

The committee adjourned after completing the appointment and designating the negotiator.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved prior meeting minutes by voice vote; it then unanimously approved the appointment of Kalinthia Dillard as inspector general and unanimously designated Commissioner Cruz to negotiate the employment contract with HR and the county attorney (final contract subject to Board of County Commissioners approval).