This year, CSI welcomed Cam Featherstonhaugh IV to the College of Fellows. Featherstonhaugh—FCSI, Lifetime Member, and former National Board Chair—is one of only four distinguished professionals in the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner (AECO) industry named to the 2025 class. Featherstone was nominated through a rigorous application process, then elected by the Jury of Fellows for membership, one of the top honors given by CSI.

Featherstonhaugh is a licensed architect in Vermont and holds a Master of Architecture from Norwich University. As a senior associate and leader of the K-12 Education Studio at TruexCullins, a full-service architecture firm in Burlington, Vermont, Cam has extensive knowledge of sustainable design, building practices, and building science. 

Here, he sits down with CSI to discuss the honor, the impact of the association, and the opportunities he sees for specifications in the future. 

What does being a member of the 2025 College of Fellows honorees mean to you?

Well, it’s a huge honor, to be sure. I never set out to get individual accolades, but I have been asked by folks for years when this would happen and I always shied away as it felt too self-serving. When my local board took the step of asking me if they could nominate me, I finally felt justified in seeking out this recognition, so now here we are.

Fellowship acknowledges contributions to the advancement of construction technology. Of all your contributions to CSI, which of them are most significant to you? 

Serving as CSI National Board Chair will always be top of this list and will probably always be the most humbling and rewarding experience of my career. But specifically, of all the technological advancements I can say I’ve assisted with—by virtue of my Board leadership in CSI—Crosswalk^® is the most significant. Crosswalk^® totally revitalized CSI’s standards and put them at the heart of software we all use as designers, builders, and manufacturers. 

What was your first job in the AECO industry?

My first job in the AECO industry was as a laborer for a highway construction company on the fence crew. I spent long, hard hours working in the woods, but I dropped 50 pounds in the first three months and learned a lot about actually making things. Of all the career paths I’ve tried, this one had the most impact on me as a person and continues to inform how I approach construction sites. I know firsthand that the people doing the work in the field know a lot more than I do about their area of expertise, and listening to them is so important for project success.

And I’ll never forget how differently people looked at me after work when I made the jump to office work after graduating from university. As a laborer, you are dirty and stinky after work, and if you stop for a beer on the way to your motel for the night, folks will often give you the once over and you can see judgment on their faces; they rarely are bold enough to say something. Once I got a job in an office, I got a very different reaction from folks when I would stop for a bottle of wine at the store on the way home. That always stuck with me and I remain convinced that just respecting people to their face is one of the most important things I can do as a project leader. Everything else is easier when you respect everyone’s contribution, because none of us do this on our own. Architecture and construction is a team sport.

What has been your favorite aspect of making your career in this field?

I have two. I’m a huge advocate of lifelong learning as the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth. Staying in a learning mode is necessary for great architects, and it keeps you humble if you meet that challenge with integrity and sincerity. But tied with that, my immense love of interdisciplinary thinking and problem solving makes this practice so endlessly interesting. My heroes growing up were folks like Ben Franklin, Leonardo DaVinci, and other polymaths of history, so I’ve always been fascinated with learning about many different things and seeing what I can glean from it all, especially across disciplines.

How has being a member of CSI informed your life and career?

It’s been the single most impactful thing I’ve done professionally, at least from a volunteer perspective. But that volunteerism in CSI has advanced my career in ways that I could never have foreseen. The leadership experience alone gave me so many opportunities, but also the education and support helped me actually get better at my job, which my employers and colleagues have always found useful. It’s a combination of nuts and bolts learning with leadership training that is so valuable. It allows me to keep my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground.

Is there anyone you would like to recognize for supporting the work you do?

My wife, Stephanie, has been the most supportive person and partner you could ever imagine. Every meeting, every trip out of town, every missed recital or baseball game, she was always there to take care of the family and allow me to do this work and advance CSI and the industry. She is the real hero of my story.

What advice would you give to new CSI members just entering this industry?

Attend your local meetings. Volunteer for the chapter. Meet new people. Your network will be your biggest asset and if you put in some time, the reward will come back in multiples.

What do you think the most significant changes, or opportunities, will be in the construction industry in the next 5 to 10 years?

Contracts have to advance. We need shared risk models that properly reward expertise and good performance and optimum outcomes. If we can crack that particular nut, we would all be much better off as an industry. Better profits and lower risk is the promise, but we have to believe there is a better way to work together.

Find out more about the 2025 College of Fellows.