Charles Costanzo is an experienced maritime attorney with more than fifteen years of leadership in marine transportation and infrastructure. He has held senior roles in both industry associations and maritime organizations, including serving as Vice President for the Pacific Region and the first General Counsel of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the U.S. tugboat, towboat, and barge industry.

 

During his tenure at AWO, Charlie led numerous regulatory, operational, and safety initiatives, collaborating with vessel operators, ports, terminals, and federal agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and Environmental Protection Agency. He played a pivotal role in advancing policy and compliance across the industry.

 

Charlie also served as Executive Director of the Puget Sound Pilots, the organization responsible for ensuring safe and reliable pilotage services throughout Puget Sound. In this role, he worked at the intersection of maritime operations, regulatory oversight, and pilot safety.

 

His professional experience spans port and channel deepening, terminal modernization, and other critical maritime infrastructure projects. He brings particular expertise in port infrastructure development, vessel traffic management and safety, and port decarbonization strategies. Charlie also has deep knowledge of labor dynamics related to both shoreside and on-water operations, especially in the context of port modernization.