Kelley Drye Welcomes Experienced Customs Lawyer Carrie Owens as Partner in D.C. Office
Former DHS and CBP senior leader enhances Kelley Drye’s international trade and customs practice
Washington, DC, Oct. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kelley Drye and Warren LLP announced today that Carrie Owens has joined the firm as a partner in its International Trade practice group. Based in the D.C. office, Carrie will serve as co-chair of the department’s Customs practice, bringing more than two decades of experience at the intersection of international trade, customs enforcement, and national security to advise clients on complex issues in trade law and policy.
She has served in senior leadership positions across the U.S. government, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where she was involved in virtually all aspects of customs compliance and enforcement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Carrie to Kelley Drye,” said Managing Partner of Kelley Drye’s D.C. office, Laura Riposo VanDruff. “Her capacity to advise on routine customs issues as well as the most sophisticated enforcement and tariff matters makes her an invaluable asset and advocate for our clients trying to navigate complex compliance challenges.” Customs practice co-chair Jennifer McCadney added, “Carrie has the perfect experience and expertise to help manage our expanding customs practice.”
Carrie brings deep experience in trade enforcement and economic security. As Director of Enforcement Operations at CBP, she implemented procedures under the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA), uncovering almost $2 billion to date in unpaid duties and protecting U.S. industries from unfair trade practices. She also served as Chief of the Entry Process and Duty Refunds Branch in CBP’s Office of Trade’s Regulations and Rulings Directorate, providing critical oversight and legal guidance for the agency’s key trade initiatives. Her branch rendered binding legal determinations on some of the most challenging subjects in customs law, including entry procedures, duty drawback, foreign trade zones, bonding of entries, fees, protest procedures, broker compliance, application of trade remedies, and liquidation procedures. Most recently at DHS Headquarters, Carrie served as Deputy Director of the Economic Security Mission Center, providing strategic analysis on illicit trade, forced labor, counterfeit goods, critical minerals, and supply chain resilience, while building innovative partnerships with more than 75 companies and trade associations.
Prior to that, Carrie was a senior attorney at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she advised on more than 30 trade investigations and was the lead counsel on a landmark case on China’s subsidies that reshaped U.S. trade enforcement. Before government service, she represented governments, importers, and manufacturers in trade remedy disputes at an international law firm.
“I’m excited to join the team and bring my longstanding experience in trade law and policy to the table,” Carrie shared. “As the global trade landscape continues to evolve, I look forward to helping clients navigate emerging challenges, strengthen compliance, and pursue strategic opportunities in today’s dynamic regulatory environment.”
Carrie has been widely recognized for her leadership and service, including as recipient of the Attorney of the Year Award from the Department of Commerce, the CBP Commissioner’s Award for Trade Facilitation, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Meritorious Unit Citation for advancing the intelligence community’s economic security mission. She is also a frequent speaker on trade, customs, and enforcement issues before Congress, international organizations, and at industry forums.
Carrie earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. from Virginia Tech.
Kelley Drye has further expanded the team’s trade compliance service offerings with the addition of Kathleen August as Customs Consultant. For more than 34 years she worked as a Senior Auditor/Team Leader at the Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Detroit, Michigan. Kathleen helps businesses build robust and credible compliance programs, determine the correct valuation of imported goods, take advantage of legal duty-savings opportunities and respond to CBP inquiries and actions.
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Michelle Felix Kelley Drye & Warren LLP 202-342-8420 mfelix@kelleydrye.com
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