Scott CameronSENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATE – WATER RESOURCES

Houston, Texas
scottmcam@hotmail.com

Education

Deakin University, Australia:

2003, Bachelor of Science (Natural Resource Management – Aquatic Science)

2004, Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honors)

Diploma of Government (Management)

PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

Career History

Assistant Director – Water Infrastructure, Australian Government Department of the Environment (Apr 2010 – Dec 2014)

  • Environmental project management of targeted infrastructure solutions to increase water use efficiency, remediate degraded habitats and support industry adaptation to climate change.
  • Development and management of business case assessment processes for $3 billion 10-year Government Portfolio, establishing new financial management and governance reporting frameworks.
  • Design and negotiation of key environmental policies to secure multilateral support for the Australian Government’s Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
  • Development and analysis of new environmental legislation. Primary author of the most recent amendments to Australia’s Federal Water Act.
  • Environmental approvals and permitting under legislation equivalent to the US Clean Water Act (CWA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulations. Reviewed proponent submissions and recommended strategies to mitigate environmental risk.
  • Management of project and business resource staff and associated budget.
  • Phase 1 Environmental Due Diligence assessment and wetland delineation to inform investment decisions for more than $1 billion of large-scale water infrastructure proposals.
  • Conducted Cost-Benefit Analysis of infrastructure solutions to achieve environmental objectives. Determined optimal investment ratios and assessed alternate investment options.
  • Risk analysis, reporting and mitigation planning regarding environmental, social and economic issues arising from large-scale Government investment in private water infrastructure.
  • Stakeholder and client liaison (Government and industry) to facilitate engagement of local communities, and development of policies and funding programs to address stakeholder concern.
  • Development of a set of key performance indicators to inform a program-level Monitoring and Evaluation framework.
  • Development of internal operational policies and data management systems, resulting in agreed, uniform procedures relating to data capture, assessment and reporting.

Water Resource Management Officer, Xiamen Institute of Urban Environment, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China (Mar 2008 – Mar 2009)

  • Identification, assessment and management of non-point source urban water pollution including water quality analysis, reporting and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Planning (SWPPP).
  • Analyzed and mapped historic land-use change on Xiamen Island using ArcView Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs.
  • Conducted trials of membrane technology and constructed wetlands for treatment of urban stormwater.
  • Publication of research results in peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Assisting Project Manager – Qinghai Forestry Resources Management Project (QFRMP), Qinghai Province, China (Jun 2007 – Nov 2007)

  • Delivered environmental awareness, watershed management and economic development training to local communities, resulting in improved engagement and active participation in environmental management decisions.
  • Coordinated the review, translation and publication of the project’s set of 11 technical manuals.
  • Managed the Post-Implementation Review of the project’s approach, benefits and lessons learnt.
  • Coordinated publication of a book recording the lessons learnt and recommendations for watershed management within the Huangshui River Basin in Western China.
  • Presented project findings to local community stakeholders and Chinese Government officials.

Environmental Policy and Project Manager – Australian Government Department of the Environment (Jan 2006 – Apr 2010)

  • Project management for an International development assistance pilot project to initiate a water entitlements and trading regime in northeast China.
  • Project management of targeted grants enabling rural water providers to prepare long-term delivery system modernization plans considering future water availability, climate change and industry trends.
  • Development of a framework for Australian Standards for accuracy of non-urban water meters.
  • Coordinated an International expert Impact Risk Assessment process to assess the risk of marine pest incursion in Australian ports arising from domestic ballast water exchange.
  • Conducted statistical analysis to inform policy decisions, and preparation of habitat maps and images utilizing GIS technologies.
  • Represented the Australian Government in meetings, including presentation of project findings to National expert committees.
  • Preparation of technical reports to assist informed policy decisions.
  • Publication completed

Project Manager – Invasive Species monitoring and water quality testing, Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, Victoria (Dec 2003 – Oct 2005)

  • Use of radiotelemetry, GPS and GIS to track and plot movement of a noxious fish species. Identification of migration patterns and spawning behavior to inform ongoing management decisions.
  • Wetland inundation modeling using GIS and historic satellite imagery to predict flood patterns in a local reservoir.
  • In-situ and lab-based water quality testing to determine the effectiveness of environmental flows to improve water quality.

Professional Speaking Engagements

2015 Texas Association of Environmental Professionals
Gave feature presentation at June meeting on recent water and environmental management developments in Australia.

2014 Australian Water Association ‘OzWater’ conference, Brisbane, Australia
Presented at the National OzWater conference on Australian Government role in water management reform. Key topics included sustainable rural water use, investment in water-saving infrastructure, and mitigating the impacts of recovering water entitlements from business and communities to meet legislated environmental objectives.

2011 Australia-Korea Next Generation Leaders Program (NGLP) – Sustainable Water Management Delegation Seoul, South Korea
Nominated as the Australian Government representative for a delegation to Korea to discuss sustainable water management with equivalent Korean leaders. Key responsibility for engaging and informing South Korean counterparts, including Government officials and international business leaders, about current Australian water management initiatives such as the National water reform agenda, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and Government investment in water saving infrastructure.

Awards

  • 2013 – Australia Day Public Service Achievement Award for developing policies to support implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
  • 2012 – Australia Day Public Service Achievement Award for implementing a streamlined reporting process to communicate environmental water recovery.

Publications

Tao L., Jian-yi L., Sheng-hui C., and Scott Cameron, 2009, “Using a Network Framework to Quantitatively Select Ecological Indicators,” Ecological Indicators, Volume 9, Issue 6, November 2009, Pages 1114–1120 (here).

Knight, E., Barry, S. Summerson, R., Scott Cameron and R. Darbyshire, 2007, Designated Exchange Areas Project – Providing Informed Decisions on the Discharge of Ballast Water in Australia (Phase 2), Designated Exchange Area Project Final Report, Australian Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra, ACT (here).
Appendices (here).

Feel free to contact us to discuss your project needs or to arrange a speaking engagement by one of our Associates for a professional training session, a technical conference, society meeting, or for a graduation ceremony or other function where the knowledge and experience of our Associates may be of interest to your group.