Dwight Tillery grew up in the City of Cincinnati's West End and Evanston neighborhoods and was educated in the Cincinnati Public Schools. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Michigan. He also holds and honorary Doctorate of Technical Letters from Cincinnati Technical College.

Dwight Tillery was appointed to Cincinnati City Council in January 1991. On November 5, 1991, he became Cincinnati's first popularly elected black mayor after serving only ten months on Cincinnati City Council. Dwight Tillery was re-elected to city council in 1993 after serving a successful term as mayor. He is currently Chair of City Council's Finance Committee, Vice Chair of the Law and Public Safety Committee and a member of the Community Development, Housing and Zoning Committee. He serves as a Trustee of the Retirement Board of the City of Cincinnati and is Chairperson of the Cincinnati Board of Health's Advisory Council on Youth Violence.

Dwight Tillery is an attorney and is associated with the law firm of Waite, Schneider, Bayless and Chesley Co., L.P.A. he has had an exceptional professional career. he has served as an Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Cincinnati, Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio, and Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Miami University, to name a few positions.