Thomas Glynn, who has served as CEO of Massport for six years, made an announcement last week regarding his departure. He intends to leave the position in November, which is a year before his contract expires in 2019.
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After six years on the job, Massport CEO Thomas Glynn has resigned and will leave his post in November.
“This is a great job, but after six years and at the age of 72, I feel it is a good time to pass the baton to the next leader who will have the chance to lead a great team,” Glynn stated.
In September 2012, Glynn assumed leadership of Massport, emerging as the unanimous choice of the Board from a pool exceeding 40 applicants. His selection reflected recognition of both his extensive background in senior management and his dedication to serving the public.
The longtime Chelsea city councillor-at-large Leo Robinson expressed gratitude toward Glynn’s contributions to Massport and his willingness to address concerns brought forward by residents of Chelsea.
“Mr. Glynn has had an outstanding tenure at Massport,” Robinson remarked. “He did some very good things for our city. I feel our relationship with Massport improved during his time as CEO and I hope we continue to have a continuing strong connection with his successor.”
State officials have characterized Glynn’s years as Executive Director and CEO through several accomplishments: expansion of international service at Logan Airport, revitalization initiatives affecting both the Working Port of Boston and Worcester Regional Airport, and implementation of the Omni Hotel diversity initiative.
“Throughout his tenure leading Massport, Tom Glynn has been a tireless advocate for furthering the Commonwealth’s reputation as an international destination,” Governor Charlie Baker stated. “Tom’s hard work to expand service at Logan and the Commonwealth’s other transportation hubs has driven economic activity across Massachusetts, and I thank him for his years of dedication and service.”
“Tom Glynn has guided Massport through an historic era of airport expansion, continuing the unfortunate trends of previous Massport CEO’s,” AirInc., the East Boston neighborhood’s Massport environmental mitigation watchdog group, said in a statement. “Since 2012, when Mr. Glynn accepted the appointment to lead the Massachusetts Port Authority, airport passenger activity at Boston’s landlocked airport has increased 37 percent according to their own reports. Along with this growth, has come additional beneficial economic activity, which the Port Authority is quick to point out. If Mr. Glynn’s success is to be measured by the growth of airport operations, his tenure at the helm of Boston Logan has been a wild success. However, the expansions Mr. Glynn has set in place are unsustainable. At its current rate of 5 percent annual growth, Logan will surpass 90 million passengers by 2035. Nighttime operations, traffic, and noise will more than double. And emissions will increase by 174 percent.”
Going forward, AirInc. anticipates that Massport’s incoming CEO will pursue meaningful changes while avoiding further expansion.
Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, a Massport Board member, has countered that Glynn prioritized building strong relationships between the Authority and its neighboring communities.
“Tom Glynn has done an exceptional job leading Massport, ensuring that Logan Airport is a good neighbor while at the same time growing the number of passengers and domestic and international destinations served,” Pollack observed.
Beginning November 17, 2018, John Pranckevicius, Massport’s CFO, will assume the role of acting CEO.
According to John Nucci, a Massport Board member and East Boston resident, the Board will commence a search for Glynn’s successor that could potentially continue past his final day.
“Tom’s departure is a major loss for Massport and for the affected communities,” Nucci explained. “He knew how to listen to neighbors and put a premium on giving back to those neighborhoods that had to live with Logan’s impacts. As a board, we have a major challenge ahead of us finding someone to fill his shoes. As we search for a successor to Tom, I hope the board will be looking for someone with demonstrated public sector experience. The secret to Tom’s success was his ability to navigate the halls of government with great skill.”