Karen Knight, P.E.

Karen Knight, P.E.
Dam Safety and Infrastructure

Karen Knight, P.E., was named as the Director of Security, Safety and Law Enforcement for the Bureau of Reclamation on August 24, 2018.

The Security, Safety and Law Enforcement Office is located in Denver, Colorado. It is responsible for protecting the public, Reclamation employees, and Reclamation facilities through the development and implementation of an integrated security, safety, and law enforcement program.

Knight most recently was the Chief of the Dam Safety Office in SSLE where she assumed that role in 2015. She oversaw five major dam safety projects which have been completed or advanced to construction.

She joined Reclamation’s Technical Service Center in 1999 where she was team leader and lead designer for embankment and foundation safety modifications at Pineview Dam, Utah. She performed comprehensive facility reviews for 12 high hazard dams; and lead teams on issue evaluation studies, including comprehensive risk analysis, for a number of other Reclamation dams. She has facilitated comprehensive risk analyses for a number of Reclamation structures assessing static, seismic and hydrologic risk.

In 2004, Karen became Manager, Geotechnical Engineering, managing a group of engineers performing evaluation, analysis, design and construction support for Reclamation’s embankment dams. She performed technical and managerial oversight, including Project Management Team duties, and peer review of up to two dozen projects at a time.

She became the Chief, Geotechnical Services Division in 2007 where she provided leadership over six interrelated groups of embankment dam and geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, seismologists, geophysicists, and dam instrumentation and inspection specialists. The Geotechnical Services Division includes more than 100 staff and provides technical expertise throughout Reclamation for inspection, evaluation, analysis, risk analysis, and design and construction oversight for high hazard dams in Reclamation’s inventory and numerous other significant and high hazard structures in the Department of Interior’s portfolio.

Knight has a Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is a registered professional engineer, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the U.S. Society on Dams where she has served on the Board of Directors, and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

Last Updated: August 24, 2018

Click on image for high resolution image.