Arek Sarkissian is a seasoned news reporter with extensive experience covering regulated industries such as medical marijuana, gambling, and alcohol at POLITICO since December 2017. Previously, Sarkissian served as the Tallahassee Bureau Chief for Naples Daily News and worked at Gainesville Sun as a public safety reporter. Other notable positions include legislative session relief reporter at LobbyTools, Inc., multimedia journalist for the Tallahassee Democrat, city government reporter for Evansville Courier & Press, and public safety reporter for Savannah Morning News. Sarkissian began a career in journalism as a public safety and courts reporter for Bluffton Today and has participated in a summer reporting fellowship at The Poynter Institute. Education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Arizona.