WASHINGTON, D.C. — Laney Allen, Brianna Manzelli, and T. Hunter Presti today announced the launch of Trellis Policy Group, a Washington-based government affairs and strategic advisory firm built to help clients navigate complex legislative, regulatory, and political environments.
Trellis’ founders bring senior-level experience from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the private sector. Together, they have helped shape and oversee implementation of some of the most consequential transportation and aviation policy efforts of the past decade.
“Trellis is built around the idea that good policy goes nowhere without good strategy and relentless focus,” the founders said. “We build deep relationships with our clients to understand their businesses, identify solutions to their most pressing issues, and guide them through the legislative process or Federal bureaucracy toward positive resolutions.”
The firm will provide integrated government affairs and strategic advisory services, including legislative strategy and drafting, congressional engagement and oversight, executive branch engagement, coalition and stakeholder alignment, and policy intelligence and monitoring. Trellis’ approach is designed around sustained engagement, with the partners working directly alongside clients to develop and execute both short- and long-term strategy.
Laney Allen draws on extensive experience in the U.S. House of Representatives and the executive branch to develop transportation policy solutions for clients navigating Congress and Federal agencies. She served as Senior Professional Staff on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where she led the Committee’s public transportation portfolio during the surface transportation reauthorization. She previously served on the Aviation Subcommittee, where she authored the first dedicated general aviation title included in an FAA reauthorization law. Having navigated both personal offices and committee roles on Capitol Hill, Laney uniquely understands how congressional staff weigh competing demands.
Brianna Manzelli has spent her career at the nexus of crisis response, policy development and advocacy. She has held senior roles on Capitol Hill, at the Federal Aviation Administration and in industry, most recently advocating for air cargo operators at the Cargo Airline Association. She previously served in senior roles on the Senate Commerce Committee and with Senator Mitt Romney, and served as the FAA’s head of communications and as a senior policy and congressional advisor to former FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.
T. Hunter Presti has spent his career leading many of Congress’ most significant aviation and surface transportation efforts. He served as Policy Director for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and is the only person to have served as Staff Director for both the Aviation and Highways and Transit Subcommittees. Presti was the lead House negotiator for the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, helped draft the 2018 FAA reauthorization law and the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act, and oversaw development of the BUILD America 250 Act surface transportation reauthorization.
Collectively, the Trellis team has played integral roles in shaping the two most recent FAA reauthorization laws, major aviation safety legislation, and historic funding for air traffic control modernization, while advising on and responding to significant transportation policy and regulatory matters from inside Congress, the executive branch, and industry.
“We have spent our careers working in complex political and policy environments where narrow margins, competing interests and compressed timelines demand both substantive expertise and strong relationships,” the founders said. “Our goal is to bring that experience directly to clients and help translate policy objectives into strategies that can actually move.”
About Trellis Policy Group
Trellis Policy Group is a Washington, D.C.-based government affairs and strategic advisory firm. Trellis is built around the idea that good policy goes nowhere without good strategy and relentless focus. The firm’s partners combine deep substantive expertise, senior-level experience and extensive relationships across Capitol Hill, the Executive Branch, and industry to help clients navigate complex Federal policy challenges and advance attainable policy outcomes.
Media Contact: Brianna Manzelli, brianna@trellispolicy.com