WASHINGTON – Katherine Lugar, president and chief executive officer of the American Beverage Association (ABA), announced today the appointment of beverage industry veteran Rand Carpenter as senior vice president for public affairs.

“Rand will bring added strength to a talented American Beverage team as a seasoned public affairs professional who has worked extensively in our industry,” Lugar said. “She possesses a wide-ranging track record of success managing strategic communications, sustainability and health issues, and innovative approaches for engaging key constituencies. We are excited to welcome Rand to American Beverage.”

Carpenter will oversee strategic communications and public affairs work for the non-alcoholic beverage industry, as well as play a leadership role on issues management. She will be a senior member of the Department of Government & Public Affairs, reporting to Kevin Keane, executive vice president.

Prior to joining ABA, Carpenter served nearly 11 years with Coca-Cola North America and The Coca-Cola Company in several senior roles, including vice president of public affairs and communications as well as director of sustainability and stakeholder relations. While there, she initiated communications strategies in the areas of wellness, community and the environment.  Most recently, she worked for ExxonMobil, leading global sustainability communications and marketing. Her background is extremely diverse as she also spent almost half of her career on the agency side, working for Ketchum Public Relations.

“I am thrilled to be advocating on behalf of a great American industry that has been an integral part of community life throughout our country for generations,” Carpenter said. “America’s beverage companies have always been willing to lead on solutions that work for the communities they live in and serve and I’m eager to be a part of that collaborative effort.”

Carpenter is what people refer to as a “true Southerner.” She grew up right outside of Atlanta and went to college at the University of Georgia where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from what continues to be one the of the top journalism schools in the country. She is married, the mother of two children, and spends her free time with family, entertaining friends and playing outside with her two pink-nosed dogs as much as possible. 

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About American Beverage

American Beverage is the national trade organization representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States. For more information, please visit www.americanbeverage.org. For more information on our leadership initiatives, please visit www.balanceus.org and www.innovationnaturally.org.