20 for the Next 20: Tracy Camuso, G70
As a partner in the Honolulu design firm, she’s helping resorts face the challenges of sea-level rise and start planning now.
Tracy Camuso
Principal, G70
An environmental and land use planner with expertise in sea level rise planning, renewable energy and biofuels, Tracy Camuso is helping to build the future of Hawai‘i.
Camuso has worked on major solar projects on O‘ahu, including Kawailoa Solar Energy Farm, which covers 620 acres and powers 45,000 homes. She and her team are also working with agrophotovoltaics, with low crops like sweet potatoes being planted underneath solar panels, allowing agricultural land to do double duty.
She launched G70’s newest service, sea level rise planning, in coordination with Sea Engineering Inc. “We work on a lot of resort projects, and obviously sea level rise is a huge factor,” she says. “Yet organizations tend to be reactive, rather than responsive, so this is about helping people think about protecting their biggest asset in the future, instead of focusing only on the immediate needs. It’s, ‘By X year, this part of your property will be underwater. Do you need to move your lobby?’ Not everyone wants to talk about it. When you get a client who wants to, it’s like, ‘Right on.’ ”
Camuso grew up in Kāneʻohe and attended Castle High School. “I was in public school all the way up to my master’s at UH Mānoa. I’m a believer in what you can do if you work hard.”
She initially planned a career in politics and worked in the office of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and at the state Legislature. Camuso joined G70 in 2005, as an executive assistant. “I got my master’s at night. I think my staff is inspired – it shows that at G70, the opportunity is here if you want it.”
Camuso’s tenacity stands out, says Kawika McKeague, another principal at G70. “To rise into a leadership position, as a local girl, it’s somewhat of an anomaly in the world we operate in. She can deal with whatever obstacle comes her way and uses that progress to be the warrior she is. She lends a wisdom and aloha to the people she works with and the clients she serves.”
Married with two sons, Camuso also serves on the board of the American Red Cross of Hawai‘i and is a mentor with the Hawai‘i Society of Business Professionals.
“There is a purpose in what I’m doing, working on projects that make Hawai‘i a better place. I care. My kids are going to live here. Believe me, I care.”
