Jennifer Carpenter
President & CEO
American Waterways Operators
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 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.
