Ian Jefferies will become the next president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) on Jan. 1.
Jefferies has served as AAR’s senior vice president of government affairs and as a senior policy adviser on Capitol Hill, and he will continue to lead the organization’s legislative efforts through the end of the year and coordinate with longtime President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger to ensure a smooth transition.
Jim Squires, AAR board of directors chair and Norfolk Southern chairman, president and CEO, said Jefferies is a proven rail industry advocate. “Ian will extend a legacy of vision, leadership and energy to write an exciting new chapter for the AAR while ensuring that it remains a clear and trusted voice in Washington,” he said.
Leading the AAR’s government relations department, Jefferies helped manage advocacy for the Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015, helped secure tank car safety enhancements in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and helped defeat efforts to increase truck size and weight limits.ss
Prior to joining AAR in 2013, Jefferies worked for more than a decade in government, including as a senior policy adviser to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Government Accountability Office.