Before coming to Spokane in 2022 to serve as president and CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, much of Emilie Cameron's life centered on her hometown of Sacramento. It was there in the California capital that she rose to become the Downtown Sacramento Partnership district affairs and development director from 2015 to 2021. During that time, she was recognized repeatedly as a leader among the local civic and business communities.
Early in her career, Cameron witnessed firsthand how disparate fields such as housing, transportation, small business, art and athletics intersect in downtown cores. Since arriving in the Inland Northwest, she has advocated for ways in which all those fields can mutually benefit.
INLANDER: What led to you swapping Sacramento for Spokane?
CAMERON: I had learned about Spokane several years ago when I was on the executive board for the Urban Land Institute in Sacramento. We had actually studied how Spokane embraced its riverfront because Sacramento was trying to learn how we could do something similar. So Spokane had been on my radar, and the more I learned about it, it really piqued my interest. And based on what I know, my skill set, I thought I could add value here.
Then when I came to Spokane for my interview, I must've spent probably three or four hours that first day just walking through Riverfront Park, along the gorge, and just really fell in love with what an incredible downtown Spokane has.
Have you noticed parallels between Spokane and Sacramento?
Sacramento, like Spokane, is a city between two destinations. Spokane is the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis; Sacramento is the largest city between Lake Tahoe and San Francisco. And it's also a city surrounded by significant outdoor amenities, meaning you can live in Sacramento and be on a hiking trail within 30 minutes. You can mountain bike, you can river raft, you name it. Spokane is obviously very similar in that respect.
But there are other parallels, too. The Great Recession really reset Sacramento. People started coming back again, and Sacramento defined its own identity of who it wanted to be and where it wanted to go. I see similar things happening in Spokane. As we hear from more and more people who are either returning or moving to Spokane, it's embracing its identity, especially through the arts.
What is it you love about your line of work?
This is a career that oftentimes can be really hard to explain to our loved ones what we're doing all day and why we're home so late. But I think part of the reason I'm so passionate about it is because we get to flex a lot of different skills. One of the things that's so unique about these types of organizations [like the DSP] is that we are conveners and facilitators and problem solvers. We have to be nimble. We wear lots of hats. And we're also often looking at the broader picture and are able to plug in solutions where they're needed.
SPEED ROUND
Favorite season to experience downtown Spokane?
I'm still learning to enjoy snow, so it would have to be late spring, when we plant the flowers and people come back for Bloomsday and Hoopfest.
Must-visit spot when you have out-of-town guests?
Every time I have someone in town, I take them to Wooden City on Riverside Avenue. It's phenomenal.
What's a personal pastime or hobby?
I really like to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds Spokane.
If you weren't in your present career, what would you be doing?
I'd be a floral designer. It's just a passion. I've always really enjoyed flowers.
