Sen. Cruz Announces Key Senior Staff Hires and Promotions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced key senior staff hires and promotions in his Washington, D.C. office.

OMRI CEREN promoted to Senior Advisor for Policy and Communications. Omri previously served as National Security Advisor and then Legislative Director for Senator Cruz. Before joining Sen. Cruz’s staff, he was programmatic director at The Israel Project, a nonprofit focused on working with journalists and the public on Middle East issues, and before that was a political blogger and writer. He received his doctorate from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.

PRESTON HOWEY promoted to Legislative Director. A proud native of the Permian Basin, Preston began his Capitol Hill career with Chairman Kevin Brady (TX-08) and later served as Legislative Director for Representative August Pfluger (TX-11). He went on to work with the natural gas markets team at the American Petroleum Institute before joining Senator Cruz’s office as Domestic Policy Advisor. Preston is a graduate of Texas A&M University.

MIKE BERRY hired as Chief Counsel. Mike joins Sen. Cruz’s office after 7 years on active duty as a U.S. Marine, and more than a decade of litigation experience in the non-profit sector. During his time in the Marines, Mike deployed to Afghanistan and taught law at the U.S. Naval Academy. Mike also served in senior litigation roles at First Liberty Institute and America First Policy Institute, during which he successfully led the litigation efforts on some of the nation’s most high-profile religious liberty and election integrity cases. Mike received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, and his law degree from The Ohio State University.

BRANDON GINDT hired as National Security Advisor. A Texas native, Brandon joins Sen. Cruz’s office from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) where he served in the Directorate for Operations since 2018, predominantly working on Middle East and strategic competition issues. During his tenure at DIA, he deployed to Afghanistan and managed crisis operations on the Joint Staff and served as the Israel and Lebanon Country Director in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Texas A&M University. 

MACARENA MARTINEZ promoted to Communications Director. A native of Houston, Macarena has served as Senator Cruz’s communications advisor since 2023. Before her work with Senator Cruz, Macarena served as the Texas Communications Director for the Republican National Committee. Prior to that, she was a War Room Analyst on President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign. Macarena holds a double bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

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