Scott J. Cameron

Interior
Scott J. Cameron
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Performance,
Accountability and Human Resources

Scott J. Cameron's background as a career employee, political appointee, legislative aide and top official at the Office of Management and Budget makes him uniquely qualified for his current position. Cameron, who began his federal career in 1979 as a Presidential Management Intern at the Fish and Wildlife Service, is a policy and budget wonk with a specialty in environmental and water resources. But his experience on Capitol Hill and work representing the state of California in Washington have given him a pragmatic approach to management as well as a credibility among decision-makers.

Cameron returned to Interior in 2001 as a political appointee after a stint at CHEP, a global materials handling and container company. Before that, the native New Yorker worked for former California Gov. Pete Wilson, communicating the state's environmental, energy and natural resources policy to Congress and federal agencies. He also served as a legislative aide to former Sen. Chic Hecht, R-Nev., from 1985 to 1989. After Capitol Hill, Cameron returned briefly to the Fish and Wildlife Service, before heading to OMB in the fall of 1989. There he oversaw budget activities related to Interior. "I walked in [to OMB] during budget season," he says. "It was so traumatic, I think it changed my chromosomes."

Human resources was added to Cameron's job description in June 2004, effectively making him Interior's point person on the President's Management Agenda. He acknowledges that juggling so many diverse responsibilities can be difficult at times. "I have eight offices reporting to me," says Cameron, adding that not all of those offices are PMA-related. One area he's been focusing on is Interior's e-government project involving better access to geospatial mapping data used to make policy decisions ranging from housing to hurricane evacuations.