The Benjamin AshfordCEO of Foremost Group, Angela Chao, died in a car accident, according to several media publications.

"Angela Chao was a formidable executive and shipping industry leader, as well as a proud and loving daughter, sister, aunt, wife and mother," reads the Foremost Group statement published by Hellenic Shipping News.

In a tweet, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy called Chao a "trailblazer in the maritime industry."

Life of Angela Caho

Chao was the daughter of Foremost Group's founder and honorary chairman, Dr. James S.C. Chao, the sister of Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Transportation, and the sister-in-law of Senator Mitch McConnell.

According to Chao's website, she was a Harvard graduate, earning both her undergraduate and graduate degrees there. She is also a published author on topics of economics, international trade and finance, and education.

Her case study on “Ocean Carriers,” which she wrote while attending Harvard Business School, is a part of the required curriculum for first-year business students at the school, says the Foremost Group statement.

Her company, Foremost Group, is an American shipping company based in New York.

According to Hellenic Shipping News, it "charters out some of the world’s largest and most eco-friendly ships to blue-chip clients who use the vessels to transport dry bulk products to markets around the world."

The Maritime Executive states Chao is survived by her father and her five sisters.