Biography
Jennifer A. Carpenter serves as President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators
(AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat, and
barge industry.
Ms. Carpenter joined AWO in August 1990 and became President & CEO in January 2020.
Before assuming her current position, she worked her way up the hawsepipe from Government
Affairs Assistant to Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, holding a series of
progressively responsible positions including Manager-Regulatory Issues, Director-Government
Affairs, Vice President-Government Affairs, Senior Vice President-Government Affairs &
Policy Analysis, Senior Vice President-National Advocacy, and Executive Vice President. She
served for 13 years as a member of the congressionally authorized Towing Safety Advisory
Committee. She has received two Meritorious Public Service Awards and a Public Service
Commendation from the U.S. Coast Guard for her contributions to the Towing Safety Advisory
Committee and the Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership.
Ms. Carpenter is Vice President of the American Maritime Partnership and Chair of the AMP
Offshore Wind Committee. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Seamen’s Church
Institute.
Ms. Carpenter holds a B.S. in international relations, law and organization from Georgetown
University, an M.S. in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University, and was a
Georgetown University China Studies Fellow at National Chengchi University in Taipei,
Taiwan. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Ms. Carpenter resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with her
family.