This is an Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) podcast sharing the stories of leaders and innovators in the dam safety community. Your host for this episode is Nicole Chiles.

In this episode, we welcome Tony Nokovich, the Chief Dam Safety Engineer for American Water. With 30 years of experience in dam safety, Tony has known he wanted to work with dams from a young age. From consulting to owners engineer, he has had many success stories and learning moments.

Tony, thank you for your stories and advice on career insights and technical expertise for engineers at all levels.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Nicole and Tony discuss:

• How playing in streams sparked an interest in dams
• Early career projects - rehabs vs new dams
• Becoming an Owner's Engineer and the challenges of a new dam safety program
• Successes with Pumped Storage
• Being prepared for Dam Emergencies
• Getting involved with ASDSO early in your career and the benefits of active involvement

We want to hear from you!

Have questions for our guests? Want to suggest a topic? Email us at [[email protected]] – we’d love to hear from you!

Get Involved with ASDSO

👷 Membership Benefits – Joining ASDSO gives you access to:
✅ Member discounts on training and products
✅ Unlimited access to ASDSO conference papers
✅ Online member directory
✅ Surveys archive & Journal of Dam Safety
👉 Become a Member: https://www.damsafety.org/basic-page/become-member

🤝 Join a Committee or Interest Group – https://damsafety.org/VolunteerOpps

📚 Upcoming Training Opportunities – Browse live and on-demand webinars, seminars, and past sessions: https://damsafety.org/training-center

📢 This program is copyrighted in 2025 by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. All rights reserved.