Salisbury native to lobby for petroleum marketers

Salisbury native Sherri Cabrera has joined the Petroleum Marketers Association of America in Washington, D.C., as the organization’s new director of legislative affairs.

Cabrera was born in Salisbury and attended Knox Middle School before her family left Salisbury. Her father, Ed Stone, now lives in Greensboro, but her grandmother, Margaret Schumaker, lives at Salisbury Gardens nursing center. A number of Cabrera’s cousins and other relatives also live in Salisbury.

In her new job, Cabrera will be focusing her attention on preparing for the 110th Congress and legislation important to petroleum marketers.

As a newcomer to the industry, she said, “Feedback and recommendations from the PMAA membership will be invaluable for me as the PMAA team begins to work on the many opportunities and challenges that will come with the new Congress.”

Although new to the petroleum industry, Cabrera has 20 years of experience on Capitol Hill and lobbying for trade associations. For the past 10 years, she represented the Manufactured Housing Institute, where she handled a broad range of legislative issues, particularly energy, environment, appropriations, tax and trade issues.

While at the Manufactured Housing Institute, Cabrera was the lead lobbyist responsible for creating industry House and Senate caucuses, for attaining favorable industry appropriations language, for Department of Homeland Security language and numerous provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

In addition, a little more than a week ago, she also gained an extension of an industry tax credit from the 2005 Energy Policy Act.

Cabrera also has experience working for the medical device industry, and she served seven years on Capitol Hill, first with the House Small Business Committee, then as a professional staff member with the House Science and Technology Committee.

She has a B.A. in political science from N.C. State University and a masters in political science from American University.

In a prepared statement, Petroleum Marketers Association President Dan Gilligan said, “Sherri is motivated … She thinks creatively and attempts to see the big picture, but focuses her energy on simply doing the work that is needed to reach industry goals.

“She also has federation experience and is fully committed to effectively harnessing the grassroots political power of the 8,000 marketer-members active in our 45 state petroleum and convenience trade associations.”