Thomas Glynn Retires After Three Years Helming Harvard Allston Land Company

Thomas P. Glynn III will retire this summer from his post as Chief Executive Officer of the Harvard Allston Land Company, concluding his three-year tenure at the University’s Allston development firm, he announced last Friday.

The Harvard Allston Land Company was established in 2018 to oversee the development of the Enterprise Research Campus. Located in Allston, the 36-acre campus is a University project that aims to facilitate connections between Harvard affiliates and research companies, as well as house green spaces and residences.

As CEO of HALC, Glynn oversees Harvard’s commercial development of the ERC, reporting to a board chaired by former Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria. Glynn said in a 2019 interview with The Crimson that he envisions the ERC as providing Harvard affiliates with the opportunity to collaborate with “cutting edge companies” in the health and technology sectors, as well as increased employment opportunities for Allston residents.

Nohria, who serves as the board chair of HALC, emphasized the “vital role” Glynn played in expanding Harvard’s presence in Allston in a memo sent to HALC affiliates last Wednesday.

“Tom helped establish HALC’s vision and charter to oversee the commercial development of Harvard land in Allston to advance the university’s mission and build a vibrant neighborhood,” Nohria said.

“From choosing outstanding architects, designing welcoming public spaces, setting the highest sustainability standards, to advancing diversity, inclusion, and belonging goals in all aspects of the project, Tom Glynn has established a foundation of excellence and equity that will serve HALC and Harvard for decades to come,” he added.

Nohria also announced in the memo that the board will appoint an interim leader and begin a search for Glynn’s successor.

Prior to leading HALC, Glynn served from 2012 to 2018 as the CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority, overseeing Logan Airport, the Port of Boston, and real estate in east and south Boston. Before 2012, Glynn held positions including Chief Operating Officer at Partners HealthCare and Deputy Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton.

Glynn will maintain his position as an adjunct lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School following his departure from HALC, a position he has held since 2019.

In a statement, University President Lawrence S. Bacow commended Glynn’s leadership, and said he is grateful Glynn will remain affiliated with the University.

“Tom Glynn leaves a remarkable legacy at Harvard. We are fortunate to have benefitted from his expertise, his insight, and his leadership during his time at the helm of the Harvard Allston Land Company,” Bacow said.

“I am deeply grateful that he will continue to be a part of the Harvard community and wish him much happiness in his well-deserved retirement from HALC,” he added.

—Staff writer Isabella B. Cho can be reached at isabella.cho@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @izbcho.