23. John Cameron

As head of the Island’s top engineering firm, John Cameron has earned a well-deserved reputation for tackling some of the most pressing environmental problems of our time—and coming out with solutions that could make our future here better and brighter. His company’s impact is everywhere, from helping the City of Long Beach get back on its feet after Superstorm Sandy to coming up with an award-winning design for the Town of North Hempstead Community Center in New Cassel, with its “solar trees” in the carport, a photovoltaic rooftop installation and a “grey water system” that uses rainwater to irrigate the landscaping. It’s also appropriate that Cameron, still an active surfer, would see fit to create St. Joseph’s College Athletic Complex in Patchogue, which received a gold award from the American Council of Engineering Companies for its innovative layout, sustainable materials and preservation of wetlands along the Swan River. Cameron also serves as chairman of the Long Island Regional Planning Council, which has been tasked by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to focus on projects that will make our Island viable, both economically and environmentally, for many years to come.