Subject Matter Expert (SME) Preparation for Dam Risk Analyses

Includes Multiple Live Events. The next is on 02/02/2027 at 10:00 AM (MST)

Dam safety specialists across the United States are increasingly serving as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in risk analyses, a role that continues to expand beyond federal agencies. While the demand for qualified SMEs has grown significantly, opportunities for structured training remain limited.

This interactive virtual workshop is designed to prepare dam owners' staff, consultants, regulators, and other technical professionals to effectively participate in Potential Failure Mode Analyses (PFMAs) and Risk Analyses (RAs). Participants will develop a foundational understanding of risk-informed decision making, the probabilistic framework used in modern dam safety practice, and the critical role SMEs play throughout the risk analysis process.

The course emphasizes practical application by helping participants:

Understand the fundamentals of risk-informed decision making.
Build confidence in providing technically defensible expert judgments.
Learn techniques for supporting subjective opinions with engineering evidence.
Navigate differing expert opinions during facilitated discussions.
Understand how risk results are developed and used to support dam safety decisions.

As an introductory course, this workshop provides the knowledge base necessary for participants to continue developing their expertise through future training and project experience.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

Explain the principles of risk-informed decision making.
Describe the role and responsibilities of SMEs during PFMAs and Risk Analyses.
Apply probabilistic thinking when evaluating potential failure modes.
Effectively communicate engineering judgment and uncertainty.
Participate more confidently in facilitated risk analysis workshops.
Understand how risk outcomes support dam safety decisions and prioritization.

Two half-day sessions

Day 1: February 2, 10:00 am MT- 2:00 pm MT
- 3.5 instructional hours
Day 2: February 4, 10:00 am MT- 2:00 pm MT
- 3.5 instructional hours

Jonathan Harris

Schnabel

Jonathan Harris currently acts as the National Practice Leader for Dam Safety and Risk at Schnabel. He has over 27 years of experience specializing in geotechnical engineering, embankment dam design, seismic engineering, dam safety, and risk analysis. He spent 11 years with the Bureau of Reclamation, working at the Technical Service Center as a Technical Project Lead. Jonathan has conducted numerous dam safety assessments for Reclamation, FERC licensees, and other hydropower owners in the United States and other countries. He spent three years working in New Zealand performing dam safety and risk assessments within New Zealand and other countries.

Jonathan has performed as a facilitator and subject matter expert for qualitative and quantitative risk analyses for numerous dam facilities. He has actively been involved in providing training for dam safety and risk analysis for over 15 years and is currently part of the United States Society on Dams risk-informed decision making (RIDM) training development leadership team and helped organize the semi-quantitative risk analysis RIDM training.

Jonathan has overseen numerous embankment dam projects for new and existing structures including site investigation, design, construction, and remediation. He has also been involved with many dam safety assessments for a variety of dam structure types and appurtenant structures, including embankments, spillways, and concrete dams.

Jennifer Williams

Vice President

AECOM

Jennifer Williams is a registered professional engineer for AECOM (Denver) with over 25 years of experience specializing in geotechnical design and analyses of earth dams. Jennifer received her BS degree in engineering-civil from Colorado School of Mines and MS degree in civil/geotechnical engineering from University of Colorado. She has provided dam safety engineering services including inspection for state and federally regulated dams including Reclamation Comprehensive Reviews and FERC Part 12D inspections; overseeing field and lab programs and detailed material characterization; geotechnical analyses including seepage, stability, seismic analyses (site response, liquefaction triggering, simplified and dynamic deformation), and filter analyses; design of new dams and dam rehabilitation; construction oversight of new-dam and dam-rehabilitation construction; and risk assessment for federal and private dam owners and regulators including Reclamation, USACE, FERC, various state dam safety programs and private dam owners. Jennifer has been involved in evaluating and remediating seepage and stability issues for existing earthen dams and is currently the lead designer for the new 300-ft-tall earth-rockfill Glade Dam. She has written articles, papers, and presented training workshops on internal erosion and risk analyses for USSD, ASDSO, and the States of Colorado, Wyoming, Hawaii, and New Mexico. She currently serves on the USSD Board of Directors, serves as the Chair of ASDSO’s Advisory Committee, and is the U.S. delegate for the ICOLD Committee on Embankment Dams.