Effective June 1, Thomas J. Kinton Jr. will resign from his post as CEO and executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority. He announced his retirement in a letter to employees, saying he was retiring to pursue other interests.
Kinton came to Massport in 1976 to fill a temporary job in the engineering department and worked his way up to be named aviation director in 1993. In that role, he was responsible for Boston Logan International (BOS) and Hanscom Field (BED), and managing Worcester Regional (ORH). Three years later, he was appointed CEO and was given the additional responsibilities of the cruise and container terminals at the port, the Tobin Bridge and real estate development.
Throughout his career, he has earned many accolades, including being named Airport Director of the Year by Airport Revenue News in 2005 and being elected to the board of directors of Airports Council International-North America in 2008.
He weathered storms that all airport directors do, but some of his biggest challenges including the $4.4B modernization program at BOS and rebuilding confidence in the airport after Sept. 11.
“When two airplanes were commandeered by terrorists on 9/11, I watched as Massport and the entire Logan airport community pulled together to restore public confidence in both the airline industry, and in itself,” Kinton says. “And because we had been one of the very first airports in the nation to establish a CARE family assistance unit, we were able to lend a hand to those who lost loved ones on that terrible day.”
“Both individuals and organizations can find change uncomfortable and challenging, but I have great confidence in you individually and the authority collectively that the safety and security of our facilities and those who use them will remain a constant, no matter who is at the helm,” Kinton said to the board.
“Everyone who has ever sat in this chair before me, and others who will sit in this chair after I am gone, learns very quickly that he or she serve many masters,” he continues. “With freedom comes responsibility, and with the freedom that was deliberately given to Massport by the State Legislature more than 50 years ago comes the responsibility that Massport has for an incredible number and variety of stakeholders. Other executive directors have balanced those obligations in their own way, and I am sure others will find a different balance in the future. I have always tried to ensure that Massport remains a team player that lends a hand whenever it is asked, yet still protects the irreplaceable assets entrusted to its care.”
