B. MANNING FERACI

Manning Feraci is a Principal at Playmaker Strategies, LLC, a government relations firm based in Washington, DC. Feraci has over twenty years of experience both as a staffer on Capitol Hill and as a lobbyist successfully navigating a myriad of tax, energy, trade and agriculture issues through the federal legislative and regulatory process.

Prior to founding Playmaker Strategies, Feraci was the Vice President, Legislative Affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the solar industry's trade association. He was the head of SEIA's federal legislative advocacy efforts and was responsible for implementing the organization's federal legislative priorities. He was the senior staff member on SEIA's policy setting and implementation bodies; assembled and led legislative coalitions; served as a public spokesman for the industry; and was the organization's lead legislative liaison to other stakeholders in the renewable energy space.

Before joining SEIA, Feraci served as Vice President of Federal Affairs for the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), the trade association for the U.S. biodiesel industry. In this capacity, he was the head of NBB's Washington, D.C. office and led the industry's advocacy efforts on priority tax and energy issues pending before both the Legislative and Executive branches. He spearheaded the effort that yielded a favorable legislative and regulatory outcome for the U.S. biodiesel industry under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). He also helped craft, modernize and subsequently extend the biodiesel tax incentive, and served as the biodiesel industry's lead representative on a joint industry/IRS task force. With both SEIA and NBB, Feraci advised the trade association's senior membership on matters pending before both Congress and federal agencies and actively participated in the formulation of the industry's public policy positions.

Feraci also served on the staff of U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) from January, 1997 through May, 2007. As Chief of Staff and previously as Legislative Director, he was the senior staffer in the Congressman's Washington, DC office and was responsible for the operation's legislative, communications and political initiatives. He was the primary tax policy staffer on issues pertaining to Congressman Hulshof's assignment on the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means and was actively involved in the enactment of a host of energy, excise, agriculture, education, estate and business tax issues. He also served on the staff of U.S. Representative Mel Hancock (R-MO).

Manning Feraci graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science from Georgia State University, and is married to Holly Feraci. They reside in Alexandria, VA.