Cameron is now senior director of sustainability at Autodesk, where she leads the corporate sustainability team and is the newly named president/CEO of Autodesk Foundation, which is “focused on supporting nonprofit organizations that are explicitly using design to create a better world.”
What did you do professionally before joining Autodesk?
I spent the first decade of my career working in the nonprofit sector at the intersection of economic development and environmental conservation. I was—and still am—passionate about mountains and mountain people, from the Tetons to the Appalachians, Himalayas and volcanoes in Kenya. I was focused on helping mountain people benefit economically by being good stewards of globally significant mountain resources, including forests and watersheds.
It was in these remote villages that I realized the highest impact I could have was actually to work from inside the private sector to change corporate business practices back home. After getting an MBA at UC Berkeley, I left the mountains and found myself in a cubicle at one of the largest hardware companies in the world. I spent the next seven years leading a sustainability team at Hewlett Packard.
How long have you been with Autodesk?
I joined Autodesk about six years ago. I’d been working at Hewlett Packard helping the company design more sustainable printers, computers and servers. I was living in Marin and was intrigued by this relatively small company called Autodesk that makes the software used to design, quite literally, anything on the planet—from shoes to cars to highways to buildings to whole cities. My wheels starting turning: What if a company like Autodesk could embed the principles of sustainability into the software so it would be easier for anyone to make better decisions about whatever they’re designing? The company needed no convincing.
What new challenge has you excited?
The Autodesk Foundation invests in and supports nonprofit organizations that are using the power of design to help solve epic challenges, such as climate change and access to water and health care, among others. In partnership with the company, the foundation provides select design-oriented organizations with software, training and financial support. Through the foundation, we also encourage Autodesk employees to contribute to the causes and organizations they care most about by making it easy for them to volunteer and donate.
A new Autodesk, Inc., program, called Technology Impact, will supply $7.5 million in software to at least 500 nonprofits this year. We’re happy to support a variety of organizations through this program, many of them local, one example being Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco.
Describe some things that are well designed.
Our customers design amazing things. A few examples are KickStart International, which is designing irrigation pumps to extend the growing season across Africa; MASS Design, which is building hospitals and schools in remote locations; or local D-Rev, which is manufacturing prosthetics and other medical and ease-of-life products for people who live in poverty around the globe.
Do you have a big family?
I’ve been married for 13 years. My husband is also a huge source of inspiration and support. We have two amazing children who inspire and teach me every day. My free time is spent with my family: coaching soccer; doing outdoor sports like trail running, biking, telemark skiing and hiking; playing piano; and many weekend trips exploring wilderness in California.
Name a favorite California vacation getaway.
Any protected area is great. Mountains and alpine environments are my favorite, but the diversity in this state is amazing: beaches, desserts, grasslands, redwoods…. I love it all.
What nonprofit organizations do you support?
I support many nonprofits but my most significant contribution is board service at the following organizations: Center for Environmental Health, Biomimicry Institute, the Designers Accord, the Center for Responsible Business at UC Berkeley, and Net Impact. I’m proud that the new Autodesk Foundation encourages employees, through incentives, to join boards because we believe our employees are some of our company’s greatest assets.
Describe one of your happiest life moments.
My happiest moments are when I wake up and realize I’m living the dream. I have a dream job where I’m able to make a significant contribution to improving lives of people and the planet. I have the best family I could ever ask for, I have a community of people both at the office and at home that inspires me, and I live in a beautiful place.
