Arthur J. Simental is a career Certified Emergency Manager, Adjunct Instructor, Researcher, Consultant, Published Author, Disaster Gaming Creator, and Systems Scientist.
Mr. Simental is a Research Associate II with Sam Houston State University’s Institute for Homeland Security. Mr. Simental is also a Homeland Security & Emergency Management Adjunct Instructor for Colorado Technical University and the Founder of Simental Industries Ltd., a Homeland Security & Emergency Management Consulting Firm and Disaster Research Collaborative. Notably, Mr. Simental is a former Public Health Advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during COVID-19.
Mr. Simental has over Fifteen Years of service in Government, Homeland Security & Emergency Management and Emergency Services. Having served at the local, county, regional, state, federal level, and in the private and non-profit sectors in homeland security, emergency management, healthcare & public health emergency preparedness, space & defense, security, education and critical infrastructure. Positions held include: Fire Fighter/Wildland Fire Fighter, Hazmat Team Member, Emergency Preparedness Specialist, Emergency Manager, Director of Emergency Management, Disaster Coordinator, Regional Homeland Security Analyst, Training & Exercise Coordinator, Facilities & Safety Coordinator, Tribal Assistant Liaison Officer, and Public Health Advisor. Mr. Simental is also a homeland security researcher, published author, former Department of Defense National Security Innovation Network – Hirethon Ambassador, Certified Threat Liaison Officer with the Colorado Information and Analysis Center, a Member of FEMA’s Science, Technology and Integration Special Interest Group, FEMA’s Resilient Nation Partnership Network, Member and Certified Emergency Manager with the International Association of Emergency Managers and the Colorado Association of Emergency Management.
Mr. Simental earned a Master of Science in Homeland Security, Emergency Management and Public Health from Colorado Technical University, a Bachelor of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University, an Associate of Applied Science in Homeland Security/Emergency Management from Pikes Peak Community College, and an Undergraduate Certificate in Cybersecurity from Colorado State University. Mr. Simental is currently a Doctoral Candidate and is ABD at Colorado Technical University.
Mr. Simental has served in multiple positions at incidents and exercises. He has deployed to several Type 1 and Type 2 incidents to include initial attack (wildland fires) and Presidentially declared Major Disasters. The most notable incidents that Mr. Simental has been a part of is the Boulder Four Mile Canyon Fire, the Waldo Canyon Fire, the Black Forest Fire, and the Monument Acid Spill. The Boulder Four Mile Canyon Fire, the Waldo Canyon Fire, and the Black Forest Fire are three of the State of Colorado's most destructive wildland fires in the state’s history, with the Waldo Canyon Fire being the second most destructive in the states' history and the Black Forest Fire being the most destructive.
Mr. Simental notably supported the COVID-19 response, serving with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Public Health Advisor. Mr. Simental was a graduating member of the 2020 Public Health Associate Program Fellow class. While serving the CDC, Mr. Simental was assigned to the Epidemiology Field Team (eFiT) and the Los Angeles Quarantine Station (LAQS), Quarantine and Border Health Services Branch (QBHSB), Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). Mr. Simental also supported the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) and the Denver International Airport (DIA). Assisting with COVID-19 infectious traveler notifications, Do Not Boards, CDC Drug Service Life Saving Medication Emergency Drug Releases, and other public health concerns within DGMQ's area of responsibility. Within CDPHE, Mr. Simental supported the Refugee Team with activities of interest to DGMQ.
Mr. Simental is also an academician and researcher on various topics spanning homeland security, emergency management, disaster resilience, space technology & innovations, and systems science. Mr. Simental has presented at the Naval Post-Graduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s 2020, 2021, & 2023 Education Summit on Emerging Technologies: Space Technology - Reshaping Approaches to Homeland Security, Emergency Management and Response (2020) and Technology and Innovation in Homeland Security: Examining Applications, Challenges and COVID-19 Case Studies in Colorado (2021) and lastly, 21st Century Civil Defense (2023). Most recently at the IAEM 2024 Conference on AI-Battle Management Systems & Disasters, and Disaster Wargaming for Homeland Security & Emergency Management. Mr. Simental has been published in both journals (online) and in print (books).
Publications: ORCID# 0000-0003-4988-9288
White, Simental, & Holst. (2024). 21st Century Homeland Defense & Civil Defense. The American Civil Defense Association (TACDA), Journal of Civil Defense, Volume 59, Issue 1.
Anthony Panasci, Shannon Gearhart, Anna Shaum, Arthur Simental, Colby Mitchell, Dionne Mitcham, Gilandria Williams, Nadim Shake, Clive Brown, Alida Gertz (2023). Demographic and travel characteristics and self-reported pre-departure SARS-CoV-2 testing behavior in air passengers entering the United States from foreign destinations from July to September 2021. Immunity, Inflammation and Disease Journal, Wiley. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/iid3.1019
Simental, A.J., Bynum, T., & Schroeder, L, (2023 In Print). The Role of Public Health in Emergency Management: Preparedness, Pandemics, Present & Future Challenges post-COVID-19 Chapter 11. In McEntire, D. The Distributed Functions of Emergency Management and Homeland Security: An Assessment of the Responsibilities of Vital Professions in Disasters and Terrorist Attacks. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group.
Simental, A.J., & Schroeder, L, (2023 In Print). Healthcare Emergency Management: The Role of Relevant Professionals in Healthcare Systems, Facilities and ESF8 Chapter 16. In McEntire, D. The Distributed Functions of Emergency Management and Homeland Security: An Assessment of the Responsibilities of Vital Professions in Disasters and Terrorist Attacks. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group.
Bynum, T., Heriberto, U., & Simental, A.J.(2023 In Print). The Role and Impact of Non-Profit and Volunteer Organizations in Disaster/Emergency Management Chapter 9. In McEntire, D. The Distributed Functions of Emergency Management and Homeland Security: An Assessment of the Responsibilities of Vital Professions in Disasters and Terrorist Attacks. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group.
Contributor: Anna Shaum, Argelia Figueroa, Danica Lee, Allison Ertl, Erin Rothney, Denise Borntrager, Emily Davenport, Reena K. Gulati, and Clive M. Brown. (2022). Cross-sectional survey of SARS-CoV-2 testing at US airports and one health department’s proactive management of travelers. Journal of Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines. DOI: 10.1186/s40794-022-00164-8
Simental, A.J., Bynum, T., Holst, J., & Cain, W.A. (2021 In Print). Space Security Chapter. In Masys, A.J. (eds) Handbook of Security Science, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51761-2_85-1 ISBN 978-3-319-91875-4
Simental, A., Bynum, T., & Holst, J. (2021). Implementing Space Technology and Innovations into Homeland Security and Emergency Management Operations and Activities. Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Journal of Homeland Security Affairs, Pracademic Affairs – Inaugural Edition 1, Article 7.