David Ackerman keeps our team safe
with positive energy
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Meet David
David Ackerman serves as our Vice President of Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Quality. He’s dedicated to ensuring that our processes remain effective and efficient while keeping our people, our property, the environment, and the communities where we operate safe. Although this area has long fascinated him, he never actually sought the role that is so clearly his strength today.
“I had found my niche”
“When I was 16, I was working summers for an excavation company as a general laborer,” David recalls. “Part of my role was to ensure the safety measures for the job site were in place prior to starting work. Little did I know that would eventually lead me to the path I am on! Like a lot of health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE) professionals from my era, I fell into it as part of another role. Working for an oil and gas consulting firm as the head of human resources, I was tasked to oversee HSSE as well. The company’s leadership supported me in gaining the education and forming a program from scratch. Things just took off from there. I had found my niche.”
David credits his willingness to challenge himself to try new things, particularly those that can help others, directly to his parents.
“My dad was a social worker and probation officer for more than 30 years,” he says. “He founded Colorado’s first juvenile probation program based on his firm belief in teaching and reforming kids. Each day is an effort to do right through his memory. My mom grew up in an era when women scientists were few and far between. She knocked down gender barriers and has accomplished so much as an atmospheric researcher and electron microscopist. Her photos of snowflakes at a microscopic level were part of an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC! My mom is still a massive motivator for me.”
“I have been blessed to work with phenomenal people”
He’s also grateful for the encouragement from the rest of his family.
“I have a wonderful, very patient, and supportive wife and three awesome kids who love to push my buttons but make me proud every day,” David says, “plus my brother and his family…. and oh… the dogs! Can’t forget them!”
Spending his formative years in the vibrant city of Boulder, Colorado, also helped him become someone his family and friends would likely describe as dedicated, fun-loving, and caring.
“It was a great place to grow up,” he says. “Within an hour you could be in downtown Denver, up camping or biking in the mountains, on a ski slope, at a concert at Red Rocks, or chilling out in one of the many hangout places. I loved it and am proud to call it home.”
He’s also loved the career that not only connected with him, but also connected him to so many outstanding colleagues.
“I have been blessed to work with phenomenal people,” he says. “Veterans and service members of the armed forces stand out to me. In 2011, I was nominated and recognized by the United States Department of Defense as a Patriotic Employer for my ‘contribution of protecting national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force.’ There was a ceremony and a certificate, but the real award was what I gained in learning from those amazing team members.”
It’s just that kind of positive energy that David both embraces and exudes in everything he does.
“We don’t know how long we have, so I believe in seizing the moment and living that moment to its fullest,” he says. “I hope that when it’s my time, I am leaving the world as a better place. That I invested my time with success. That I contributed – even in a small way – to making the lives of others better. It’s why I love NFE – this company has a spirit of innovation, of positive energy, and of impact. NFE truly wants to make a difference! And I love the opportunity to make a difference.”
