Ms Dillon leaves the board next week, having worked for it and its predecessor entities for nearly 25 years.
For the the past seven years, she has overseen food services, hospital security and diagnostics, such as CT scans and breast screening.
She started as a trainee medical laboratory scientist, and has held a number of administrative posts since moving out of a hands-on clinical role.
Asked if her career had been affected by tumult and upheaval in the sector, especially in the 1990s, she said she was always focused on the task at hand, rather than wider issues or politics.
She supported the public health system.
"I think we do a damn good job for our community."
The move will provide a fresh start for her, her husband and their 9-year-old daughter.
Ms Dillon grew up in Dunedin and her only time away from the city was in Invercargill for secondary schooling.
"This is the furthest north I've been - Dunedin."
She was leaving for family rather than work reasons, she said.
She would greatly miss her colleagues, some of whom she had worked alongside for many years.
It was a time of change at the DHB, with a decade-old hospital master-site plan finally coming to fruition, and a new chief executive.
The master-site plan added two new cafes to the mix, which would have been gratifying to oversee.
Her family will settle in Adelaide, in the new year, for a lifestyle change.
She would consider another role in the health sector, but first wished to reappraise her skills and aims.
