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.[citation needed] He is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. He previously served as general counsel and acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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 the U.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 oversaw 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.[3][bettersourceneeded]
Kerry was appointed acting United States Secretary of Commerce on June 1, 2013,[4] and resumed his position as general counsel on June 26, 2013, when Penny Pritzker was sworn in as the 38th Secretary 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.[5][bettersourceneeded]
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 the Brookings Institution.[6][7][8]
At Brookings, Kerry leads two efforts: The Privacy Debate, a convening and publications series on U.S. privacy legislation,[9] 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.[10][bettersourceneeded]
Kerry co-founded and helps lead FCAI, a collaboration between Brookings and the Centre for European Policy Studies.[11][12]
In 2024, Kerry's report entitled Small 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.[13][14] In 2025, an essay co‑authored by Kerry argued for a distributed, networked approach to global AI governance and standards and was cited in independent outlets.[12][15]
During John's 2004 presidential campaign, Kerry traveled across the United States to discuss his brother's views on Israel, campaigning with Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz, writer-comedian Larry David, and Jewish elected officials.[19] According to contemporary news reports, Kerry also served as an advisor and campaign surrogate.[20]
Kerry is married to Kathy Weinman; they have two daughters.[23] He converted from Roman Catholicism to Judaism in 1983 before marrying Weinman.[24] Kerry's paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Austria who converted to Catholicism.[25]
