Governor Rell Nominates Former Coast Guard Officer, Current Bradley Security Chief for DEMHS

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she is nominating former U.S. Coast Guard Captain Peter J. Boynton – the former Captain of the Port of New Haven and current Federal Security Director at Bradley International Airport – to be the state’s next Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS).

            Boynton, 52, of Madison served more than 28 years in the Coast Guard, including Captain of the Port of New Haven from June 2004 to June 2007. Prior to his role in New Haven he was chief of governmental affairs for the Boston-based First Coast Guard District from August 2001 to May 2004 and Chief of Operational Planning from July 1999 to July 2001. He also served from 1995 to 1997 as Director for Global Affairs on the National Security Council staff at the White House. He has been the top federal security official at the state’s primary airport in Windsor Locks since August 2007.

            “Peter’s decades of dedicated service to our nation, the many roles he has played in the Coast Guard and his experience at Bradley combine to make him an ideal candidate for the many tasks that befall the Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security,” Governor Rell said. “From planning and drilling for natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks to working with me to respond to major storms to collaborating with our Congressional delegation and local leaders on issues of homeland security funding, DEMHS is essential to what I have often described as government’s foremost responsibility: ensuring the safety of its citizens.

            “Ever since the dark days of September 2001, the Coast Guard has been on the front line of America’s domestic security effort – and Peter Boynton has been one of the leaders of that effort,” the Governor said. “I am tremendously pleased he is willing to take on this new role and I am confident the Legislature will agree.”

            The nomination is subject to review by the Legislature’s Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee and a vote by the General Assembly. In the interim he will serve as Acting Commissioner, starting August 28.

            Boynton is a 1979 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and a 1994 graduate of Harvard University, where he received a master’s degree in public policy. He and his wife, Susan, have three children.

            “I’m very gratified by Governor Rell’s nomination,” Boynton said. “I look forward to this new and exciting opportunity to continue my public service, especially to the people of Connecticut. Like the Governor, I believe government has a duty to do all it can, working with our public- and private-sector partners, to protect people from hazards – both natural and man-made. It is a complex and ever-evolving challenge, but one that governments at all levels must address.”