Joseph Lawless

Joseph Lawless serves as the 23rd Board President. Lawless was formerly the chief law enforcement and security officer for MassPort’s maritime properties in South Boston, East Boston, and Charlestown. While at MassPort, Lawless was in charge of developing and implementing policing, security and emergency planning strategies for all facilities. Lawless created and chairs the weekly Port Security Operations meeting, a public and private security collaborative attended by representatives of over twenty different agencies and corporations. Lawless received the 2012 International Police 9/11 Medal for Extraordinary & Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in fighting terrorism and trans-national crime from the International Organization of Airport & Seaport Police.

Lawless has 37 years of law enforcement and security experience, including more than 13 years with the Massachusetts State Police Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, and Executive Protection units. He came to Massport in 1993, overseeing all aspects of public safety. In this role, he oversaw Logan Airport-based Troop F of the Massachusetts State Police. During this time, Troop F became the first law enforcement entity accredited by the International Association of Airport and Seaport Police for its commitment to excellence. He is the Senior Transportation Security Specialist for The Edward Davis Company.