The City of Hutto is excited to announce the hiring of Bill Zito, Jr. as the City’s first ever emergency management coordinator. This newly created position is designed to reduce the vulnerability of people in Hutto from damage, injury and loss of life and property as a result of natural disasters, terrorism and major emergencies.
Zito brings to Hutto a wealth of knowledge and experience from local, state and federal levels. A member of the U.S. Army for over two decades, Zito retired as a command sergeant major in 2013. While in the Army, he completed three combat deployments to Iraq totaling 34 months. He was awarded three Bronze Stars for his service.
Upon retirement from the Army, he worked as a deputy chief of staff and chief of staff for three different U.S. Congress members from Texas. In 2018, he was appointed by the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to become the deputy chief of staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A year later, he was appointed to be the assistant administrator for national continuity programs at FEMA.
Most recently, Zito worked for the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), where he served as the Williamson County liaison officer. He joined Team Hutto on Jan. 23, 2023.
In addition to his responsibilities coordinating activities for Hutto relating to the prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery to major emergencies within the City, Zito will also oversee the development of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This new initiative will incorporate internal procedures and staffing requirements to allow key personnel to direct local coordinated emergency response.
Zito will also serve as Hutto’s representative for relevant TDEM, FEMA and National Incident Management System (NIMS) matters. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis on homeland security before completing Master’s degrees in emergency/disaster management and legislative affairs.