Ready for Everything

Preparing for worst-case scenarios is a way of life for Dio Ayala '07/'11. He’s been on the front lines for everything from devastating tornadoes to unfathomable acts of terror. The things that no one else wants to think about consumes his thoughts.

As director of the Madison County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency, he most recently played a leading role in managing recovery efforts following the EF4 tornado that killed six people in Winterset, Iowa — just 30 minutes west of Simpson College — on March 5, 2022.

“I’m not the same person I was before that day,” he says. “Our community is still trying to heal.”

Responding to a deputy’s call for help, Ayala raced to Carver Road, where he encountered destroyed homes and disturbing scenes. He saw a man fatally buried under the debris of his home, before being called a quarter mile up the road to another ravaged home, where a woman lost her life.

Her husband had been thrown out of the other side of his house, clinging to life. Ayala knew he had to act quickly.

“I had to make a split-second decision,” said Ayala. “I knew it was going to take a while for the ambulance to get there, so I made my way through the debris and, put him in my car and raced to the hospital.” Doctors were able to stabilize the man, and he survived.

Those traumatic minutes and hours gave way to days and months of grueling clean-up and restoration work. Over the next 90 days, Ayala led the coordination of more than 1,000 volunteers participating in recovery efforts while also serving as media spokesperson for the county.

“You can create plans, but you also have to be very adaptive. Because if you had told me we’re going to create a scenario featuring a fatal tornado, car chase, propane leak all on the same day, I would have said, ‘Come on, that’s too much.’”

Familiar with Tragedies

For Ayala, it’s not the first time tragedy has hit home. As a high schooler in the Bronx, NY, he was near the 1993 bombing of the Twin Towers. Eight years later he was in New Jersey working for Verizon, when 9/11 forever changed the world. Serving as a network operations center surveillance technician at the time, he was part of a team bringing in equipment and people to help with the recovery effort.

“It really changed my perspective and had me wondering how we can prevent it from happening again,” the U.S. Navy vet said. “So, when I was asked to lead a recovery team, I jumped on it. And I’ve been in the disaster recovery realm pretty much ever since that time.”

Putting Education into Practice

Inspired by his Simpson education, Ayala served as adjunct instructor in criminal justice at the college for five years. During that time, he collaborated in creating a cybercrime course.

Cybercrime is just one of many dangers Ayala must prepare for in his new role. He remains ever vigilant about protecting schools and critical infrastructures such as water and power systems, as well as providing security for government buildings and public events.

“I talk about it all the time with the public and I use social media a lot to keep people informed. We all have to realize that these things really can happen anywhere.”

Four years after 9/11, Ayala’s interest in criminal justice brought him to Simpson College, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field. He is grateful for Simpson’s professors, who helped him manage the work-education-life balance.

“If I didn’t have that (Simpson) education, I wouldn’t have the job I have today. You can lose a job, you can lose a lot of things — but your education will always follow you. I always tell people that now is the time to do it. Why wait?”

Knowing that Ayala is staying on top of all threats is surely comforting to his new community neighbors who leaned heavily on his leadership during tornado recovery efforts. The Red Cross celebrated his life-saving actions last spring by honoring him with its “Hero of the Heartland Award.”

Ayala says he’s humbled by all the kind recognition, but his work isn’t about the accolades. “I just want to help people and make sure they’re okay.” Learn