Industry People On The Move—May 2024

• The American Waterways Operators announced that Jill Bessetti has joined the AWO staff as vice president-Southern Region. She began work May 6 after a successful active duty and civilian career with the U.S. Coast Guard, serving most recently as Eighth District towing vessel coordinator. Bessetti attained the rank of commander during her active-duty Coast Guard career, which included experience in New Orleans, Mobile and Philadelphia. Additionally, she spent 10 years teaching adult learners about environmental science in an online environment.

• AWO also announced two regional staff promotions coincident with the May 3 retirement of Senior Vice President-Regional Advocacy Lynn Muench (WJ, May 6). Peter Schrappen has been promoted to vice president-Pacific Region and regional team lead, and Justin Lampert has been promoted to director-Midcontinent Office.

Alongside his duties in the Pacific Region, Schrappen will supervise the regional team of Brian Vahey, vice president-Atlantic Region; Kyle Burleson, director-state advocacy; newly hired vice president-Southern Region Jill Bessetti; and Lampert.

Lampert will add to his responsibilities as staff lead for the Midwest and Ohio Valley regions ’leadership of AWO’s inland waterways management portfolio, including support for the River Industry Executive Task Force.

“I’m delighted to announce these well-deserved promotions,” said Jennifer Carpenter, AWO president and CEO. “AWO’s regional team plays a crucial role in our advocacy work and as frontline ambassadors to AWO members and external stakeholders. I want to thank every member of the regional team for their support during the transition to Lynn Muench’s retirement, and I look forward to working with Peter, Brian, Justin, Kyle and now Jill to build on the strong foundation Lynn has built and take our advocacy and member service to the next level.”

• Amanda Coates has been named chief commercial officer of the Port of New Orleans, where she will lead the port’s business development strategies and real estate operations.

Coates will be responsible for driving Port NOLA’s growth initiatives, forging and cultivating strategic partnerships and identifying new avenues for revenue generation, as well as overseeing the management of the port’s real estate portfolio.

“Since 2018, Amanda Coates has brought invaluable maritime knowledge and experience to our global gateway,” said Brandy Christian, Port NOLA president and CEO. “She is a strategic and visionary leader who brings a wealth of knowledge and proven track record for success. Her expertise will be vital as we push forward on the largest public economic development project in the state, the Louisiana International Terminal.”

Coates began her tenure with the Port of New Orleans in 2018 as commercial manager and was named head of business development in 2023. Prior to joining Port NOLA, Coates worked for more than 15 years in various operational and commercial roles for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

• Jen Werner recently joined Middle River Marine as vice president-finance. Werner has more than 15 years of experience in finance and administration, primarily in the fields of banking and marketing. She earned an MBA in finance from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Calvin University.

• Kyle Pagan has joined Bristol Harbor Group Inc. as a naval architect. Pagan holds a master’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University. For his graduate research, he conducted an in-depth study of the performance of 3D printing materials under the influence of water exposure, investigating their potential effects on ship models utilized in towing tank testing.

Prior to joining Bristol Harbor Group, Pagan worked as a naval architect at Birdon US in Elmwood, La., where he was a member of the group responsible for designing auxiliary systems for the Coast Guard’s Waterways Commerce Cutter program. Kyle also interned at LLOG Exploration Company in Covington, La., and assisted project managers with engineering calculations, subsea integrity management programs and regulatory requirements for several deep-water oil and gas production systems.

• The Nashville Engineer District welcomed Craig Carrington as the new deputy district engineer March 26 during a ceremony at the Nashville Public Library.

Carrington has served the Corps in multiple capacities for more than 22 years, including as a project manager, emergency response mission manager, chief of programs, chief of plan formulation, chief of the Planning Branch and deputy for the Planning, Programs and Project Management Division. He deployed to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and Germany to manage construction in Israel, Germany, Poland and Norway for NATO.

Carrington received his Bachelor of Science in history and Master of Science in urban and regional planning from the University of Tennessee. He is a certified project management professional and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers certified water resources planner.

• Shane Kuhlmey has been named divisional director for crawler cranes, deep foundation machines and maritime cranes for Liebherr USA.

Kuhlmey was most recently head of Liebherr USA’s mining division.

“Having spent the last six years with Liebherr, I have had the joy of working with the best team in mining,” he said. “As I transition to the crawler cranes, deep foundation machines and maritime cranes division, I look forward to learning about the intricacies of the crane and maritime industries, meeting our valued customers and building strong, lasting relationships. I am enthusiastic about the future and committed to ensuring continued success and growth.”

Kai Friedrich, managing director of Liebherr USA, said, “We are confident that Shane’s strategic vision and commitment to excellence will drive Liebherr’s crawler cranes, deep foundation machines and maritime cranes division to new heights of success. Kuhlmey’s transition to this new sector is a testament to Liebherr’s commitment to diversifying our expertise and strengthening our position in the North American market.”

• Roland Schwandt has been appointed deputy CEO of Schottel GmbH, Spay, Germany.

Schwandt joined Schottel in 2000 and began working in various sales segments. After briefly managing the Tug & Offshore Energy segment, in 2018 he was named vice president-sales.

Alongside his role at Schottel, Schwandt is a member of the supervisory boards of sister companies and represents Schottel in the major maritime associations.