Christopher S. "Kitt" Carpenter is an American economist who is E. Bronson Ingram Chair and Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University, founder and director of the Vanderbilt LGBT Policy Lab and director of the Vanderbilt Program in Public Policy Studies.

[1][2][3][4] In 2023, he was the first recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the American Economic Association, awarded "for his selfless and persistent efforts to foster a welcoming environment for all economists and others aspiring to join our ranks.

"[5] Carpenter is "a first-generation college graduate, a Korean adoptee, and a gay person.

[citation needed] Carpenter was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Postdoctoral Scholar in Health Policy Research from 2002 to 2004, when he joined the faculty of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California at Irvine.

[7] Much of Carpenter's research focuses on the intersection of public policies (such as underage drunk driving laws, minimum drinking ages, and alcohol sales restrictions) with health behaviors, such as alcohol consumption and seat-belt usage.