Blazing an Authentic Trail

Cameron lives by the mantra her grandmother taught her, "Never turn down anything but your coat collar." This mantra and her approach to life provides for an engaging and worthwhile conversation that touches on a variety of important topics. Cameron shares candidly with us about her experience climbing the career ladder, dealing with toxic work environments and how taking risks saved her life and helped her reclaim her voice.  The conversation also touches on the importance of belonging and diversity in the workplace and taking calculated risks. One of her greatest risks involved writing about her experiences and Cameron shares how writing helped her cope with and work through her experience. Cameron prioritizes her health and well-being and will hopefully inspire you to do the same. The fun cornerstone of the episode does turn back to the power of grandmothers and the inspiring stories of how they continue to live on through their families. Tune in to hear these powerful stories of leadership, self-care, and community.

Cameron Curtis, CMM, CAE, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of C2 Association Strategies and has more than 22 years of association management experience. Prior to founding C2, Cameron served as President & CEO of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) and Medivac Foundation International (MFI). During her tenure with AAMS and MFI, she led the organization through a federal lawsuit against the Departments of Health & Human Services, Labor and Treasury, established the Emergency Transport Healthcare Operations and Safety (ETHOS) database, launched new DEI initiatives, facilitated strategic planning that resulted in future-forward mission, vision, and strategic priorities, overhauled and implemented a new governance structure and membership model, worked with the legislative team to impact legislation and rule-making related to the No Surprises Act, Medicare reform and 5G Implementation, and led COVID response efforts and townhalls to support members during the pandemic.

Prior to joining AAMS, she worked for SmithBucklin where she served as the executive director for the Society of Interventional Oncology (SIO) and Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS), managing resource allocations and staffing for the Washington, DC, healthcare association practice and serving on a committee designed to develop training and education for executive directors, companywide. In addition, Cameron has worked with a variety of organizations, including serving as the executive director for the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Association of Meeting Professionals, and providing oversight for meetings and events, domestically and internationally. She worked with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. State Department on several international meetings, including the International Military HIV/AIDS Conference in Maputo, Mozambique, and the International Conference on AIDS & STIs in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She also served as the director of meetings for the Regional Airline Association (RAA) and Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEhp). Prior to joining SmithBucklin, Cameron served as manager of meetings of the Association of American Medical Colleges and director of society affairs of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Cameron holds a bachelor’s degree in music theater from the Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va. She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and is a current member of the CAE Commission, served as ex-officio on the ASAE Industry Partner Alliance, is past chair of the ASAE Meetings & Exposition Professionals Council and past member of the ASAE Foundation Development Committee. She is also a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and has a Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) from Meeting Professionals International. Cameron is a contributing author in