Hal Van Aller, P.E., retired from Maryland's Dam Safety program in 2021. He started his career at a private soils testing and engineering firm in 1979 where he specialized in dams. He joined Maryland Dam Safety in 1983 and served as geotechnical engineer before becoming chief. In 1989 he earned a Masters degree in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Maryland and has a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. His first job after graduating from high school in 1974 was working for the USDA Soil Conservation Service as a field technician for construction of a PL-566 flood control dam in Maryland.