Jaime R. Garza of San Antonio and Rossanna Salazar of Austin were named chairman and vice chairwoman of the Texas State University System Board of Regents. Garza is a professor of surgery, otolaryngology and assistant dean for South Texas Affairs at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Salazar is founder and managing partner of ROSS Communications Inc., an Austin-based public affairs and strategic communications firm.

Norman R. Garza, Jr. has been named assistant vice chancellor for government relations with Texas A&M Engineering. For the last six years, he was associate legislative director with the Texas Farm Bureau.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has made a couple of additions to his D.C. press office, hiring Phil Novack, formerly of Salesforce in San Francisco, as deputy press secretary and Jack Minor, formerly of Heritage Action for America, as deputy digital director.

Margo Cardwell of Austin has been hired by Trey J. Blocker, PLLC. She most recently was chief policy analyst for Greg Abbott's gubernatorial campaign.

Rich Parsons has hired on with the Railroad Commission as the agency's communications director. He comes from the governor's office, where he was deputy communications director since March 2013. He has also worked for the lieutenant governor and secretary of state.

Disclosure: The Texas State University System and the Texas Farm Bureau are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Texas Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.