Maria G. Arias is the Vice President of Law and Government Affairs for Adelphia Communications Corporation based in Denver, CO. In this capacity, she is responsible for providing support on cable operations, franchising and local government affairs to Adelphia’s five regions and the corporate staff. Previously, Maria was the Vice President of Local Government Affairs for AT&T Broadband, where she was responsible for franchising and local government affairs for AT&T Broadband’s 14 major markets and corporate staff. Before joining AT&T Broadband, Maria held several positions with AT&T Corp. including, National ROW Coordinator-State and Local Government Affairs, and Chief Regulatory Counsel for AT&T’s Western Region. Prior to joining AT&T, Maria was an income partner with McDermott, Will & Emery in Chicago, IL specializing in commercial litigation. Maria received her Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University. She is a member of the ABA, Women in Cable & Telecommunications, and the National Association of Multicultural Ethnicities in Communications (“NAMIC”). Maria serves as the Vice-President of the Denver Chapter for NAMIC. Maria also serves on the Board of the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation in Denver. She has served on the Board of Denver’s Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Board of the Latin American Education Foundation. She previously served on several Boards in Chicago. Maria is an immigrant from Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. Maria is married to Thomas C. Pelto and together they have five children.
