Inside the role: what it’s like to be a community engagement manager at AWS

When AWS invests in a new data center location, Cannon and his team spearhead the process of laying the groundwork for community collaboration. He conducts outreach with local stakeholders and community members to identify local needs, priorities, and opportunities to work together. Then, he builds a customized local plan that combines community needs with AWS’s resources, people, and passion for innovation.

These immersive conversations have led to exciting initiatives that create positive local impact, such as developing education programs to provide cloud computing training and tech career pathways for local youth and adults. In Ireland, for example, this resulted in the creation of an upskilling course that enabled a local man to go from being a refugee to gaining the cloud skills he needed to become an AWS data center technician.

“It’s really rewarding work when we make a positive impact and create opportunities for people in our local communities,” he said.

While the InCommunities team’s programs and impact usually starts on a local level, in some cases they also spread to become country-wide, regional, or even global programs. Cannon has helped launch innovative sustainability projects leveraging AWS technology, such as EnergyCloud in Ireland, which reduced energy waste by using excess wind energy at night to heat water for free for families in need. He has also established community funds donating to local causes aligned with AWS's social impact goals, such as supporting a South African coding education platform, called Tangible Africa, to expand its reach to hundreds of thousands of new learners globally.

Another program that Cannon’s team is focused on these days is the AWS InCommunities Mobile Think Big Space roll-out in Aragon, Spain. The program launched in December 2023 with the aim to provide students ages 10 to 16—from local schools in the three municipalities where AWS data centers are based—with the opportunity to explore and develop interests in STEAM and other disciplines. The Mobile Think Big Space van is bringing its science and robotics demonstrations to local schools with the goal of reaching 3,500 students in its first year.

During his five years at AWS, Cannon has seen the global InCommunities team grow. As the program expands, the team provides guidance, encourages innovation, and fosters collaboration across the organization to find solutions tailored to each community's unique needs and culture.

"What we strive to do is create a bond between ourselves and the neighbors in the communities where we have data center investments," Cannon explains. "We want to be known as a neighbor contributes meaningfully to the local area."

For Cannon, success comes down to showing up and building connections — listening, understanding each community’s unique challenges, and demonstrating that the community's voice matters. He emphasizes that solutions need to be co-created with local stakeholders, not imposed top-down.

“I’ve learned that you can't think you have all the answers,” he said. “In this role, you have to listen, get involved, be active, and follow the number one rule: show up."

With his team's thoughtful engagement strategies, AWS is empowering communities worldwide and building foundations for positive social impact.

Cannon is proud of what his team has accomplished, but also focuses on continuing to evolve and innovate programs. One example is the inclusion of sustainability initiatives such as tree-planting and bio-diversity events into the employee volunteering program.

As AWS grows, so does his responsibility to ensure its presence results in sustainable, long-term social impact in its local data center communities. By supporting skills training, funding nonprofits, promoting employee volunteering, and supporting community cloud innovations, Cannon said AWS is helping build stronger communities.

"In EMEA, we cover a large and diverse region, with rich and interesting cultures, communities, and people who are our neighbors in each location,” Cannon said. “So, our approach to being a considerate neighbor can't be one-size-fits-all. It must be flexible, authentic, and responsive to the unique needs of the community."