Cameron Kerry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| ActingUnited States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office June 1, 2013 – June 26, 2013 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | Patrick D. Gallagher (acting) |
| Preceded by | Rebecca Blank (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Penny Pritzker |
| General Counsel of theUnited States Department of Commerce | |
| In office May 21, 2009 – September 4, 2013 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Lily Fu Claffee |
| Succeeded by | Kelly R. Welsh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cameron Forbes Kerry (1950-09-06)September 6, 1950 (age 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Kathy Weinman |
| Relations | SeeForbes family |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Richard Kerry Rosemary Forbes |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) Boston College (JD) |
| Profession | American attorney and policy researcher |
Cameron Forbes Kerry (born September 6, 1950) is an American attorney and policy researcher known for his work on privacy, cross-border data flows, and artificial intelligence governance.[1] He is a distinguished visiting fellow at theBrookings Institution. He previously served as general counsel and acting Secretary of theU.S. Department of Commerce.
Cameron Forbes Kerry was born inWashington, D.C. He is the fourth child of U.S. diplomatRichard Kerry andRosemary Forbes of theForbes family.[2] He graduated fromHarvard College in 1972 andBoston College Law School in 1978.
After law school, Kerry served as law clerk to U.S. Senior Circuit JudgeElbert Tuttle from 1978 to 1979. He then joinedWilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr inWashington, D.C as an associate, before moving toMintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo in Boston, where he became an associate and partner. He was an adjunct professor of Telecommunications Law atSuffolk University Law School from 1997 to 2002.[3]
On April 20, 2009, President Obama nominated Kerry, and on May 21, 2009, he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate as the General Counsel of theU.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He served as the department's chief legal officer and oversees the work of over 325 lawyers in 14 offices. Kerry also served as the department's chief ethics officer, and co-chaired the secretary's Internet Policy Task Force, which brings together Commerce agencies with expertise on the internet in the 21st-century global economy.[4]
Kerry was appointed actingUnited States Secretary of Commerce on June 1, 2013,[5] and resumed his position as general counsel on June 26, 2013, whenPenny Pritzker was sworn in as the 38thSecretary of Commerce. As the General Counsel of the Department of Commerce, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He resigned his position on September 4, 2013.[6]
In December 2013, Kerry joined the Governance Studies program and the Center for Technology Innovation as the first Ann R. & Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow with theBrookings Institution.[7][8][9]
At Brookings, he leads two efforts: The Privacy Debate, a convening and publications series on U.S. privacy legislation,[10] and The Forum for Cooperation on AI (FCAI), a series of roundtables seeking to identify avenues of cooperation on international AI regulation, standards, and research and development.[11]
Kerry co-founded and helps lead FCAI, a collaboration between Brookings and the Centre for European Policy Studies.[12][13] FCAI convenes senior officials and experts from seven jurisdictions: Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[14]
Kerry remains active in the public debate on AI standards and data governance.[15][16] In 2024, his reportSmall yards, big tents: How to build cooperation on critical international standards drew coverage from the American National Standards Institute and policy media for recommending stronger U.S. and allied engagement in international standards bodies.[17][18] In 2025, an essay co‑authored with Joshua P. Meltzer, Andrea Renda, and Andrew W. Wyckoff argued for a distributed, networked approach to global AI governance and standards and was cited in independent outlets.[13][19]
From 2014 to 2019 Kerry served as senior counsel withSidley Austin.[20][21] Since 2013, he has been a visiting scholar with theMassachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.[22] He also serves on the board of the National Archives Foundation since 2018.[23]
Kerry has worked in several of his brotherJohn Kerry's political campaigns, including in 1982 he served as campaign director forJohn Kerry for Lieutenant Governor, and in 1972, he served as strategy director forJohn Kerry for Congress.
During John's2004 presidential campaign, Kerry traveled across the United States to discuss his brother's views on Israel, campaigning withHarvard Law School professorAlan Dershowitz, writer-comedianLarry David, and Jewish elected officials.[24] According to contemporary news reports, Kerry also served as an advisor and campaign surrogate.[25]
In 2006, Kerry was reported to have considered a run forSecretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but he declined after the Democratic incumbentWilliam F. Galvin announced that he would seek re-election.[26]
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Kerry served as the vice chair of theNational Jewish Democratic Council and defended Democratic nomineeBarack Obama in the Jewish press.[27]
Kerry is married to Kathy Weinman; they have two daughters and live inMassachusetts.[28] He is the younger brother ofJohn Kerry.[2]
In 1983, Cameron Kerryconverted from Roman Catholicism toJudaism before marrying Kathy Weinman.[29] His paternal grandparents wereJewish immigrants from Austria who converted to Catholicism.[30]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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| Preceded by Rebecca Blank Acting | United States Secretary of Commerce Acting 2013 | Succeeded by |
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