Jeff Painter is the founder and principal of Ferncliff LLC consulting.

From his earliest days growing up in the Shenandoah Valley, fishing for bass and canoeing in the South Fork, to his time spent in Virginia’s great southwest at Emory and Henry College, 13 years of field and government relations experience with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to his extensive work in various capacities with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters over 14 years, stewardship for Virginia’s natural and historic resources has always played an important role in Jeff’s life.

Owning his own small real estate management and investment company with just 20 employees in the Caribbean, as well as overseeing one of the largest agencies in the Commonwealth with over 3,500 employees, have combined to provide Jeff with the knowledge and appreciation for efficient human and capital asset allocation, strategic planning and communication, crisis management, and a wide range of managerial and leadership skills.

This combination of career experience and volunteer service gives Jeff more than 25 years of senior executive leadership in the public and private sectors, including service as Executive Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters; Manager of Advocacy & Outreach of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; owner of Property Partners, a small business managing and investing in properties on Vieques Island; Vice President of Ericsson & Company, a Capitol Hill consulting and fundraising firm; Assistant Enrolling Clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates; and Political Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Jeff served as the Chief Administrative Office of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) under Governors Kaine and McDonnell from 2006-2010. He was appointed ABC Board Chairman by Governor McAuliffe in 2014. Governor Northam appointed him Chairman of the newly formed part-time Virginia ABC Authority Board in 2018. Jeff was also elected by his peers across the nation to Chair the National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association. Jeff stepped down from his Authority Chairmanship in 2019, to dedicate more time to his Ferncliff clients.

Jeff has an extensive, solid history of achieving success for his clients; from conservation and environmental advocates to government agencies and private corporations to candidates and investors.

Recent subject areas of engagement on behalf of clients at the state and federal levels include: evasive species, health care, land preservation, gaming, energy, wildlife conservation, distilled spirits, fundraising, and more.