Carnival executive Marie McKenzie honored at Caribbean maritime gala

Carnival Corporation senior vice president Marie McKenzie was recognized at the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation’s Anchor Awards on Nov. 5 in Florida for three decades of cruise-industry leadership. The honor highlighted her work across Caribbean ports and communities and the foundation’s push to fund maritime education for regional students.

Why it matters: - The award underscores McKenzie’s influence on cruise-industry ties with Caribbean governments, ports and local communities. - The gala also raised support for scholarships and grants that help train the region’s next maritime workforce. - Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness used the event to spotlight practical exposure for Caribbean students in the cruise sector.

What happened: - The American Caribbean Maritime Foundation held its ninth annual Anchor Awards on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Florida. - Carnival Corporation executive Marie McKenzie was honored for three decades of leadership in the cruise industry. - Holness delivered the keynote address at the gala. - The event also recognized Richard Scheff, senior partner at Faegre Drinker.

The details: - McKenzie is senior vice president of government and destination affairs at Carnival Corporation. - She joined Carnival Corporation in 1996. - Her role includes relationships with Caribbean governments, regional organizations, port partners and local communities across more than 40 ports regularly visited by the company’s cruise lines. - Her work centers on destination development, infrastructure and shared economic opportunities. - McKenzie has also held senior roles in financial planning and analysis, global destination development, sourcing and operations. - She is originally from Jamaica. - McKenzie became the first woman and first Caribbean national to chair the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s Operations Committee. - She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Howard University and a master’s degree in international business from Florida International University. - Holness said McKenzie helped arrange firsthand exposure to the cruise industry for more than 100 Caribbean Maritime University participants, including 20 cadets, aboard Carnival Dream in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, shortly before the gala. - Holness said, “Her willingness to open doors for cadets gives practical meaning to the opportunities we are discussing tonight.” - McKenzie said she was deeply honored by the recognition and shared it with colleagues, government leaders, port partners and communities across the Caribbean. - McKenzie said, “Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. Our responsibility in this room and beyond is to help close that gap.”

Between the lines: - ACMF framed the award around workforce development, not just industry recognition. - The theme, “Caribbean Maritime Professionals: The Backyard Advantage,” points to a regional push to build homegrown talent and keep maritime careers connected to Caribbean communities. - McKenzie’s career path reflects how cruise-industry leadership can extend beyond ships to ports, policy and local development. - Geneive Brown Metzger, ACMF president and executive director, called McKenzie an “indispensable bridge” between the cruise industry and Caribbean communities. - Metzger said McKenzie’s career offers a model for building a resilient, highly trained maritime workforce across the islands.

What’s next: - Proceeds from the gala will support ACMF scholarship and grant programs. - Those programs help Caribbean students pursue maritime-related studies in marine engineering, logistics, navigation and port management. - ACMF says it has invested more than $3 million in more than 600 scholarships and grants. - The foundation says that funding supports the region’s broader maritime economy.

The bottom line: - The honor recognized McKenzie’s long-running role in shaping Carnival’s Caribbean relationships while highlighting a broader regional effort to turn maritime careers into opportunity for Caribbean students.