Adrian Arnakis

Adrian Arnakis is responsible for leading the rail industry’s government affairs and advocacy efforts in Washington. Prior to joining AAR in 2018, Arnakis served for more than 13 years in the United States Senate where she established herself as a policy leader and trusted advisor on transportation and infrastructure issues.

Most recently, Arnakis 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, Arnakis 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. Arnakis 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, Arnakis served as a key aide on aviation issues for the Senate Commerce Committee as well as legislative counsel in Senator Thune’s personal office.

Arnakis received a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an active member of the Virginia Bar. Arnakis lives in Virginia with her husband.