James F. Manning, moved up from Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid to Acting Chief Operating Officer upon the resignation of Lawrence A. Warder on October 10, 2008. Manning had previously served as Chief of Staff of Student Aid. Manning was a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He also worked as the chief operating officer for the Catholic Alliance and as the national director of the Congressional Award Foundation. Manning held the position of chief operating officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service and AmeriCorps from July 2003 until he was chosen to serve as Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights from December 2004 through December 2005. In May 2006 Manning took over as Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.