PORTLAND – John D. Carter, a former Pendleton resident, has been named chief executive officer and president of Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.

“John Carter’s in-depth experience managing global businesses, and his experience as an attorney with responsibility for legal compliance, makes him perfectly equipped for this role,” said Schnitzer Chairman Kenneth M. Novack. “In John, we’ve found a capable leader with the right skills to meet the board’s objectives.”

Carter, 59, valedictorian of the Pendleton High School class of 1964, is a director of Northwest Natural Gas Co., Flir Systems, and Kuni Automotive. In the United Kingdom, he is a director of London & Continental Railways and Cross London Rail Links.

He served until 2002 as executive vice president and director of Bechtel Group Inc., providing oversight of the firm’s telecommunications, industrial, and water businesses. While president of Bechtel’s Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southwest Asia region, he played a lead role in the organizational and financial restructuring of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in the United Kingdom, and managed other power, petroleum and civil projects.

An attorney, Carter also served as general counsel of the Bechtel global engineering and construction organization.

Carter and his wife, the former Linda Levy, have three grown children.