Richard B Handler

Richard B. Handler a nominee, has been our Chairman since February 2002, and our Chief Executive Officer since January 2001. Mr. Handler has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Jefferies & Company, Inc., our principal operating subsidiary ("Jefferies"), since January 2001, as President of Jefferies since May 2006, and as Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of both companies during 2000. Mr. Handler was first elected to our Board in May 1998. He was Managing Director of High Yield Capital Markets at Jefferies from May 1993 until February 2000, after co-founding that group as an Executive Vice President in April 1990. Mr. Handler has also been the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jefferies Partners Opportunity family of funds and is Chief Executive Officer of their newly formed successor entities, Jefferies High Yield Trading, LLC and Jefferies High Yield Holdings, LLC. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Handler Family Foundation, a non-profit foundation working primarily with underprivileged children. Mr. Handler received an MBA from Stanford University in 1987 and a BA in Economics from the University of Rochester in 1983 where he also serves on the Board of Trustees and is Chairman of the school's Finance Committee.