Camille Dow Baker is a Canadian humanitarian and engineer. She is co-founder of the not-for-profit engineering consultancy Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). She has held senior positions in the petroleum industry, received national and international honors and was president and CEO of CAWST until September 2011.

Career

After graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, Baker worked in the petroleum industry for over 20 years in executive positions with Norcen Energy Resources Limited, Conwest,

Alberta Energy Company The Alberta Energy Company Ltd. was a Canadian independent petroleum company that existed from 1973 to 2002. The AEC was created by the Government of Alberta under Premier Peter Lougheed as a mechanism for Albertans to invest in the Syncrude oil ...

and was a member of the board of directors for the Alberta Oil Sands Technical Research Authority. As a career change, seeking to apply engineering principles to the problem of supplying clean water and sanitation worldwide, she enrolled in the Masters Environmental Science Design programme at

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

. She undertook her master's project on

biosand filter A biosand filter (BSF) is a point-of-use water treatment system adapted from traditional slow sand filters. Biosand filters remove pathogens and suspended solids from water using biological and physical processes that take place in a sand column c ...

technology with Dr. David Manz and they then co-founded CAWST in 2001 to transfer this technology to poor countries. In 2011 she stepped down from her role as CEO of CAWST but continued to work on research projects for CAWST. CAWST is based in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It has the goal to provide education, technical training and consulting in water and sanitation to the NGOs and government agencies working with the poor in developing countries to remedy the lack of engineering expertise within the sector. Many organisations are involved in this area but Dow Baker's vision was for an organisation to provide training as long-term capacity building rather than installing infrastructure. In 2005, as a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

's Implementation Working Group of the WHO International Network to Promote Household Drinking Water and Safe Storage, Dow Baker presented CAWST's approach at a WHO International Symposium. In 2010 CAWST was awarded the Special Prize by the Fonds Suez Environnement Initiatives Institut de France, an award that recognises achievements in effective sanitation, waste and water management in developing countries. The philanthropist

David P. O'Brien David Peter O'Brien (born 9 September 1941) is a Canadian lawyer and company director. An Irish Quebecer, O'Brien was born and educated in Montreal, and began his career in 1967 with the law firm Ogilvy Renault. In 1977 he moved to Calgary and ...

has supported CAWST for a decade, after learning about its work from Dow Baker. By 2014, CAWST had supported 793 implementing organizations in 68 countries, whose projects have resulted in 9.3 million people gaining access to better water or sanitation. CAWST is a member of the Global Handwashing Partnership.

Honors

Baker has received several national and international awards for her humanitarian work. These include the

Alberta Centennial Medal The Alberta Centennial Medal is a commemorative medal celebrating Alberta's first 100 years as a province of Canada. History In 2005, the ''Alberta Centennial Medal Act'' established the Alberta Centennial Medal. Purpose The ''Alberta Centenni ...

, awarded by the government of the Canadian province of Alberta to 8000 of its citizens who have made notable contributions to the province and its people, a Women of Vision Award from Global, Calgary in 2005-6 and also honorary degrees from the

and

Mount Royal University Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally “Mount Royal College,” Mount Royal University was granted university status in 2009 by the provincial government. The university has an average class s ...

Personal life

She was born in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

in 1957. She and her husband Derek have two children. Discussion with her then teenaged son, Hugh, was one of the reasons for her career change and foundation of CAWST after realising the great worldwide need for safe drinking water.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Camille Dow 1957 births Living people Canadian engineers Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to Canada McGill University alumni University of Calgary alumni