On Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced the appointment of Cristóbal J. Alex, Emmy Ruiz and Adrian Saenz to serve in high-profile roles in the Biden administration.

Cristóbal J. Alex was selected as Deputy Cabinet Secretary. An El Paso native and the son of immigrant parents, Alex served as the founding President of the Latino Victory Fund, and as Hillary for America’s National Deputy Director of Voter Outreach and Mobilization. Before his transition into politics, Alex worked at the Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation, and served as Director of the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights. 

Emmy Ruiz is headed to the White House to serve as Biden’s Director of Political Strategy and Outreach. Born in Harlingen, a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, and currently living in Austin, Ruiz was a former campaign aide to Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris, Secretary Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama, and Democratic Chairman Tom Perez. She is a co-founder and partner of NEWCO Strategies, a minority-majority political firm. During the 2018 and 2020 election cycles, Ruiz helped support the work of groups mobilizing communities of color to vote and running and electing progressive women to office.

“Our nation is facing urgent challenges, and we are building a team that will be ready to tackle them on day one,” Biden stated. “In addition to working with organizations and communities, these accomplished public servants sit at the forefront of collaboration across the administration. Together, they fuel the everyday work to build our nation back better than before. I’m proud to have them serve the American people in the White House.”