Adrian Arnakis

Adrian Arnakis is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the Assocation of American Railroads (AAR). Adrian brings more than 13 years of Senate experience to her role at AAR, where she established herself as a policy leader and trusted advisor on transportation and infrastructure issues.

Prior to joining AAR in November 2018, Adrian served as the deputy staff director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation under Chairman John Thune (R-SD). In this role, she oversaw the operation of one of the Senate’s most productive, bipartisan committees, which during her tenure secured the enactment of more than fifty laws – most recently the 5-year FAA Reauthorization. She also served as the committee’s counsel and policy director of surface transportation and oceans from 2013-2015 where she led the team that wrote, negotiated and secured enactment of the bipartisan Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Additionally, Adrian also served as a key aide on aviation issues for the Senate Commerce Committee as well as legislative counsel in Sen. Thune’s personal office.

Adrian earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. She lives in Virginia with her husband Robert and dachshund Victor.