From supporting US forces in Afghanistan to running Rhode Islandâs COVID-19 response How Thomas McCarthy, the executive director of the stateâs COVID-19 Response Team, took the lessons he learned through multiple tours of duty and applied them to the pandemic. By Alexa Gagosz Globe Staff,Updated May 7, 2021, 6:00 a.m. Email to a Friend Tom McCarthy, executive director of the state's COVID-19 response, addresses the media at the weekly COVID-19 press conference in Providence on April 29.Gretchen Ertl/For The Boston Globe PROVIDENCE â Early in his career as a cavalry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, Thomas McCarthy was partnering with local authorities to help restore governance and security in the region. He would work on projects that would ensure access to clean drinking water and help deliver essentials such as food and medical supplies to civilians.