In this position, Achterberg is responsible for a variety of risk management programs throughout Reclamation which include Dam Safety, Building Seismic Safety, Safety, Security, Law Enforcement, Emergency Operations, and Emergency Disaster Recovery. Achterberg serves as the U.S. Department of the Interior representative on the Dams Government Coordinating Council, which is led by the Department of Homeland Security.

"Dave brings a tremendous amount of experience to this position that is responsible for helping protect Reclamation employees and facilities," said Rinne. "He has kept Reclamation in a leadership role on dam safety and security within the federal government and the dam industry."

Achterberg was appointed Reclamation's Security Coordinator after September 11, 2001 where he was responsible for a variety of new security initiatives within Reclamation and with other major Federal dam owners and regulators. Subsequently, Achterberg was appointed the Assistant Director for Security, Safety and Law Enforcement in 2003 where he continued this work.

Prior to his security work, Achterberg was the Chief of the Dam Safety Office where he administered an annual program of $70 to $90 million and was responsible for monitoring, inspection, analysis, and dam safety rehabilitation for Reclamation's facilities.

Achterberg is a registered professional engineer in the state of Colorado and holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University where he also attended graduate school and studied river mechanics, sediment transport, water quality, and dam design.