The Story of Cameron Russell Williams

Man of Profound Impact

Cameron touched many lives, not just with his humor and intellect, but with his heart as a natural-born convener, connector, and ally to all who crossed his path. His mission was to empower, include, and make a space for all, which seemed effortless with his infectious energy, comedic wit, and loving spirit. Cameron knew how to use his light to show his worth, but more importantly, he constantly used his light to spotlight others.

The “younger” of the Williams twins, Cameron was passionate about FAMILY. It is rare to find a young man so dedicated and proud of where he came from, and how he was raised. Raising him was a true challenge because he always had an artfully persuasive way of explaining why rules had been broken. Cammy began challenging the status quo as a child, and that became a running theme throughout his life. He always found a “better” way to do things, and even told his parents about how and why things should be done differently; not his way, just a different way. Always with a justification, sometimes well-planned and sometimes not, we discovered that Cammy was an “influencer” years before social media ever coined the term. He donned himself a borderline genius. He would always emphasize...” borderline!”

Growing up as a twin, he would often comment that he and his sister Morgan, who he adored, were two sides of the brain. He was the creative visionary, and she was the planner, operator and all-around stickler to details---oh yes, and to the rules! In middle school, they created their first company together, CamMor Productions which created family photo calendars and sold them primarily as Christmas gifts. That successful and profitable business venture led to another, and another which helped fuel that serial entrepreneurial spirit that became the springboard for the road ahead.

People often speak of Cameron’s incessant work ethic. Like a mad scientist, he could become enthralled with something of interest for 2-3 days straight with no distractions to break his concentration, then emerge with all kinds of plans, ideas and dialogue. But behind the scenes, we would all joke about his laziness being the catalyst for his creations. He laughed with us and continued to create himself out of many boring and arduous tasks at work over the years. This started early, at the age of 16 when working for Ace Hardware in Crete, IL where he grew up. He was given responsibility to help with inventory management-- counting items in storage every day. One late night, we woke to find him feverishly clicking away on the computer downstairs to create a new system for doing ‘this dumb job’. Through the use of macros on Excel, as a teenager, he was pioneering a system to end this “useless” task with a much simpler, tech-based way to manage inventory. Ace was thrilled with their young employee’s ingenuity, and at the same time, Cammy ended up successfully inventing himself out of a job.

Cameron was a consummate salesman, people-lover, charmer and exceptional leader. Every experience, from winning state championships in the long- and triple-jump at Marian Catholic High School, to earning degrees in Economics and African American Studies at Oklahoma University where he was recruited for track and received a scholarship, Cammy was building his legacy. Being the maverick that he was, he was able to adapt and change course. When an unexpected brain tumor at the age of 19 ended his track career, his words were “Ok, so I can’t be a champion athlete, but let me figure out what else I can be a champion at.” Cameron seemed so excited about what was next for him. It was then that his life seemed to shift into a faster gear, and he turned into a phenomenon, climbing to greater heights, breaking barriers and figuratively knocking down walls like one of his favorite superheroes, Spiderman.

Inherently curious, keenly observant, and always prepared to chat you up, only Cameron could walk into a building, stumble upon a recruitment event, introduce himself as a viable candidate (which he wasn’t), and walk out with a position at one of the most prestigious investment banking and financial services companies in the world, Goldman Sachs. Two weeks into the internship he was offered a full-time position making it critical that he take on extra hours and step up the grades in his senior year at Oklahoma University. A light turned on in his head; he now understood “why this college thing was somewhat necessary”. It is from there that the world outside of the Russell and Williams families would come to know his greatness, as his journey soon led him to the state of Utah.

Cameron quickly rose through the ranks at Goldman Sachs, and with each promotion, continued to expand his horizon, using his innate skills and knowledge to absorb all that he could while making connections and helping others along the way. Cameron was a visionary, who while in the investment banking industry, kept his eye on the boom in technology. He saw the enormous growth and knew he could play an instrumental part in it. Being the trailblazer that he was, he taught himself how to code on the weekends. Goldman Sachs helped change his career trajectory, but after a few years, it was time for him to move on and get serious about tech.

Cameron moved on to a new position at Domo, Inc., where he worked to create actionable solutions through a BI (Business Intelligence) platform to help companies grow and scale. In just six years, Cameron held four positions at Domo and made his mark while combining what he loved, technology and diversity. Not the average “tech guy,” but a guy with degrees in other areas, Cameron proudly became a multi-patented software architect which added to his list of accomplishments while at Domo. Multifaceted, multi-talented and dynamic, he made history at every turn, quickly earning a spot on the organization’s leadership team.

Cameron was known for using his voice to create a space for others who had no voice, all while educating his colleagues, leaders, and the communities of Utah about why a difference in voice - especially in business - is paramount. As he continued with a commitment to diversity and inclusivity, his honors were many as he was recognized for his efforts throughout his career. In 2020, he was named one of Utah Business magazine’s “Forty Under Forty” and featured among the state’s finest leaders and entrepreneurs. Cameron was profiled in Impact Magazine in an article titled “Who’s Who of Black Utah” where he was recognized for being an inspiring and forceful change within the Utah community. A couple months later, Cameron was also profiled on KSL.com in an article entitled “Black Voices: Improving diversity in Utah’s tech culture,” where he talked about his journey and fondness for the state. Cameron’s voice and expertise was sought by many organizations through interviews, appearances, and podcasts to help diversity engagement initiatives such as Harmons Grocery, Traeger Grill, Utah’s Economic Development Council, and Rev Road.

A civic leader, volunteer and advocate, Cameron sat on the board and later became chair of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce. He also helped lead Living Color Utah, an organization that provides resources for Utah's diverse population. Cameron was an advisory board member of the Young Professionals of Salt Lake City and Utah Chapters of the National Association of Black Accountants and National Society of Black Engineers and played a significant role in the Silicon Slopes tech-organization.

Cameron, an entrepreneur at heart, while working full time at Domo founded EverWoke a transportation logistics company. What started as an interesting side hustle quickly became recognized in 2019 where it was named Startup of the Year by Logistics Tech. EverWoke filled with potential and now his spirit will no doubt iterate and grow.

Raised by a village, empowered by his family, neighbors and friends, Cameron accomplished everything he sought out to do in just 33 years of life, including finding the love of his life, Indya. In such a short time, he made more of an impact than others could ever make in twice the time. And with all of his success, all of his professional and personal responsibilities, he took pride in checking in with his family, especially with his mother, with a hearty loving “hello, my beautiful mother,” to which she always replied “hello my handsome son.”

The people that poured into Cameron (outside of his parents, sister and fiancé) include the neighbors, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, colleagues, coaches and friends, each who have played a role in helping to mold him into the man that he became. All of the neighborhood barbecues, all of the talks with dad and his cousins, and his big social life, Cameron was still Cam. And even with the upward mobility, fortune and success, he’d still get in the kitchen and bake homemade rolls from his grandmother’s recipe and host epic parties.

Always giving honor to God, Cameron ignited fires, changed companies, transformed industries and touched people deeply, compelling them to move to higher levels. His legacy will continue through each of us who have committed to honor and memorialize him in ways inspired by his life. Cameron never did things the same old way, and neither should we. Cameron talked the talk and walked the walk, always encouraging others to do the same. Dream big, then dream even bigger he would often say. His life was a call to action, and his legacy should inspire all to make the world better by living a life of honor and purpose.