U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has announced several key staff changes in his Washington, D.C. office, including both promotions and new hires.
Omri Ceren has been promoted to Senior Advisor for Policy and Communications. Ceren previously held the roles of National Security Advisor and Legislative Director for Senator Cruz. Before joining Cruz’s team, he was programmatic director at The Israel Project and a political blogger and writer. He earned his doctorate from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication.
Preston Howey has been promoted to Legislative Director. Originally from the Permian Basin, Howey began his career on Capitol Hill with Chairman Kevin Brady and later served as Legislative Director for Representative August Pfluger. He worked with the American Petroleum Institute before becoming Domestic Policy Advisor in Cruz’s office. Howey is a Texas A&M University alumnus.
Mike Berry joins as Chief Counsel after seven years of active duty as a U.S. Marine and over ten years of litigation experience in the non-profit sector. Berry deployed to Afghanistan during his military service and taught law at the U.S. Naval Academy. His legal career includes senior roles at First Liberty Institute and America First Policy Institute, focusing on religious liberty and election integrity cases. He holds degrees from Texas A&M University and The Ohio State University.
Brandon Gindt is hired as National Security Advisor, coming from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he worked since 2018 on Middle East issues and strategic competition matters. At DIA, Gindt also deployed to Afghanistan and managed crisis operations on the Joint Staff, serving as Country Director for Israel and Lebanon in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He graduated from Texas A&M University with both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Macarena Martinez has been promoted to Communications Director after serving as communications advisor since 2023 for Senator Cruz. Previously, she was Texas Communications Director for the Republican National Committee and a War Room Analyst on President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign. Martinez earned a double bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
