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President & CEO of the Association of American Railroads
Mr. Jefferies began his career in government serving as a Senior Advisor to the Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, before transitioning to the federal government. Ian then worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In these roles, Jefferies led program reviews on a variety of issues including infrastructure development, international trade, major weapon systems acquisition and federal contracting.
From 2009 to 2013, Ian served as a senior policy advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. In this role, Ian provided policy guidance on a host of transportation issues, including railroad economic regulation, rail safety and passenger rail. Mr. Jefferies also led the successful development, negotiation and reauthorization of major infrastructure legislation and managed the successful conference of Committee legislation relating to the 2012 Surface Transportation Reauthorization Law, MAP 21.
Prior to assuming the role of President & CEO of the AAR on January 1, 2019, Mr. Jefferies was the Senior Vice President of the AAR’s Government Affairs where he led the development, promotion and implementation of legislative priorities for the AAR. As the Association of American Railroads (AAR’s) President and CEO, Ian advocates for, and works with member railroads to ensure the continued viability of America’s railroad industry. Ian also serves as a Board Member for RailInc., MxV Rail and GoRail.
Mr. Jefferies received his Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.
Ian lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and their three children. Ian enjoys University of Kentucky (Wildcat) Basketball, traveling internationally with his family, and running. Ian recently completed the 50th Anniversary Marine Corps Marathon, which begins between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, and ends at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.
