The mission of the Kim Cameron Award is to honor Kim Cameron’s legacy by fostering the professional development of identity practitioners through increased access to key industry events. The KCA enables awardees to participate in the dialogue about key industry topics, receive education about foundational and breaking developments, or present on areas of their expertise.
As our partners at the OpenID Foundation said, “Kim was crafty. He not only injected his thinking into Microsoft; as a champion of the Identity Standards Community, Kim embedded his thinking into the standards that inform many of the identity systems operating at scale today. Kim’s domain expertise went beyond his considerable engineering chops. He had a deep understanding of the interplay between the rapid pace of technical innovation, the practicalities of market adoption, and the constraints of government regulation.” Many in the identity industry benefited from Kim’s insights, mentorship, and advocacy. It is with enormous pride that DIAF helps to honor Kim’s legacy through this award.
While many in the community find these events invaluable for learning and establishing important relationships in the community, the costs of conference admission, travel, and lodging can be a barrier to access for newer professionals and those whose attendance isn’t covered by a corporate sponsor. This award creates opportunities for more motivated practitioners to engage with the industry.
You can read about the 2023 prior winners’ experiences at the OpenID Foundation.