Marshall Carter named to Logan security commission

Marshall Carter, a senior fellow and adjunct lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Center for Business and Government, has been asked to chair a state commission prompted by the Sept. 11 hijackings to examine operations at Logan Airport and the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Logan’s management has come under heavy fire for security lapses after terrorists hijacked two flights out of Logan and slammed them into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. The crashes killed thousands, tumbled the towers onto the street below and created shock waves that are still reverberating around the nation and world.

Carter, former chairman and chief executive officer of State Street Bank and Trust Co., will head the six-person Special Advisory Task Force named by Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift Sept. 28.

Swift asked the group to report back within 45 days on changes that need to take place to ensure the safety of passengers and employees; the safe operation of the airport, port, and bridges; and whether their management should remain under a single agency. Massport oversees the operations of Logan Airport, the Tobin Bridge, Worcester Airport, Hanscom Field, and the Port of Boston.

Carter’s research and teaching focuses on management and leadership in government and business. He holds a degree in civil engineering from the Military Academy at West Point, a master of science in operations research/systems analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a master of arts in science, technology, and public policy from George Washington University. Carter served as a Marine Corps officer for 14 years and was awarded the Navy Cross, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart during his tour of duty in Vietnam.

Joining Carter on the task force are Sheila Widnall, former secretary of the Air Force and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Wayne Budd, former U.S. attorney and current executive vice president and general counsel at John Hancock Financial Services; Patricia McGovern, a former gubernatorial candidate and currently executive vice president for external affairs at CareGroup Healthcare System; Robert Johnson, founder of First Security Services Corp. and executive vice president of Pinkerton Security USA; and John Haley Jr., an independent management and transportation consultant and former general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

“I am honored to have been chosen,” Carter said. “The six members of the panel have extraordinary qualifications for this kind of work and we hope to produce some solid recommendations within the 45-day framework.”