|
Will Ris is Senior Vice President Government Affairs for AMR Corp. and American Airlines. An attorney with broad experience in government and transportation Ris has been American Airlines' principal government affairs executive since July 1996. He is responsible for directing all activities on behalf of American and its parent company AMR Corp. with Congress the administration and a broad range of federal agencies. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of American Airlines.
Ris joined American in 1996 from the Wexler Group a Washington D.C.-based government relations firm where he had been Executive Vice President. In that capacity he had represented American as outside counsel for 13 years. Before his association with Wexler he served from 1975 to 1978 as a trial attorney for the United States Civil Aeronautics Board. In 1978 Ris was appointed counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation and its Aviation Subcommittee. He served for five years during which time he was the principal Senate legal counsel for the drafting of both the airline and trucking deregulation bills.
Today Ris serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Green Door Inc. which is a nationally recognized organization that provides services for chronically mentally ill persons in Washington D.C. Ris is a member of the Board of Governors of Ford’s Theater in Washington a director of the Meridian International Center and an active volunteer with and fundraiser for the American Association of People with Disabilities. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Advanced Navigation & Positioning Corporation in Hood River Oregon and Chairman of its Corporate Governance Committee.
Ris graduated from Northwestern University in 1969 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He received a Master of Arts Degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 1971 a Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1974 and a Master of Laws Degree from Georgetown University College of Law in 1978. | 