Art Mead, vice president and chief counsel of Crowley Maritime Corp., was elected chairman of the American Waterways Operators, the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association, yesterday during the association’s spring board of directors and annual membership meeting, which was held virtually.

In accepting the leadership role, Mead emphasized the resilience and adaptability of the tugboat, towboat and barge industry as it continues to serve the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The response to this crisis by AWO member companies, staff and our mariners has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Mead said. “While shelter-in-place and work-from-home orders proliferated from state-to-state, our mariners and our workers continued delivering millions of tons of needed raw materials, consumer goods and energy.

“But during COVID-19, our industry has shown the nation what we’ve always known to be the case – our industry is resilient and adaptable,” Mead said.

Based in Jacksonville, Fla., Mead joined Crowley in 1996 as an associate corporate counsel. Prior to joining Crowley, Mead worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, Admiralty and Shipping Division, and held commercial marine transportation related positions at Stolt-Nielsen, Inc., and Maersk Line Limited. Mead also served as a U.S. Navy commander with the reserve component of Military Sealift Command. He has a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation from the State University of New York Maritime College, and a law degree from Golden Gate University.

In addition to Mead, the AWO electedDel Wilkins, president of Illinois Marine Towing, Inc., as vice chairman; and Clark Todd, president and chief operating officer of Blessey Marine Services, Inc., as treasurer. Mead succeeds outgoing Chairman Scott Merritt, former chief operating officer with Foss Maritime Company, LLC.

AWO President and CEO Jennifer Carpenter welcomed and thanked the newly-constituted Board of Directors, saying: “My vision is of an AWO that is, and is experienced by our members as, your indispensable organization, crucial to enabling your companies and our industry to survive, adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing business and public policy environment. COVID-19 is the latest challenge and is one for the history books, but it is not the only one, and it won’t be the last.”

A full announcement by the AWO is available here.

About the American Waterways Operators

The American Waterways Operatorsis the national trade association representing the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, which operates on the rivers, the Great Lakes, and along the coasts and in the harbors of the United States. Barge transportation serves the nation as the safest, most environmentally friendly and most economical mode of freight transportation.

About Crowley

Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 128-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family- and employee-owned company that provides marine solutions, energy and logistics services in domestic and international markets. Crowley operates under four business units: Crowley Logistics, a logistics supply chain division that includes ocean liner services; Crowley Shipping, which encompasses ownership, operations and management of conventional and dual fuel (LNG) vessels, including tankers, container ships, multipurpose, tugboats and barges; engineering; project management; and naval architecture through its subsidiary Jensen Maritime; Crowley Fuels, a fuel transportation, distribution and sales division that also provides liquefied natural gas (LNG) and related services; and Crowley Solutions, which focuses on global government services and program management, government ship management, expeditionary logistics and government-oriented freight transportation services. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found at www.crowley.com.