Mr. Zarnetske has worked on federal infrastructure projects at the municipal, state, and federal levels of government for over 30 years. Robert began his career as a federal Presidential Management Intern at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Later, he was appointed Acting Assistant Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, where he developed the National Transportation Library, DOT’s largest pubic-facing program. Mr. Zarnetske worked closely with representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the Volpe Transportation Systems Center. Mr. Zarnetske also served as an infrastructure policy advisor to two U.S. Senators. Mr. Zarnetske served as City Manager in Norwich Connecticut. He was appointed a Commissioner on the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission by Governor Jodi Rell. For three years, Mr. Zarnetske was the Secretary of the Board of Directors at the South East Area Transit (SEAT) district in New London County, Connecticut.

Most recently, Mr. Zarnetske has served as the Senior Economic and Policy Advisor for the State of Rhode Island, guiding the State’s Department of Administration through the establishment of the Pandemic Recovery Office, with responsibility for compliance with Federal regulations and guidance. In this role, he facilitated and participated in policymaking and special task force meetings, taking in input from various perspectives and objective data to guide strategic planning and decision-making.

Among other previous positions, he served as grant manager for the U.S. Department of Education, responsible for all phases of Federal grant oversight. He also helped design FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs.

Mr. Zarnetske has managed grants at the local level, serving as staff to the Community Selection Committee for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs in Norwich, Connecticut. In municipal government, he was a County Manager for Kingston, Rhode Island. A licensed attorney, he also ran his own legal firm for seven years.