Mark Cruz with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In June, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. appointed Mark Cruz, as senior advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Cruz is a 35th generation Oregonian, born in Salem, and is a citizen of the Klamath Tribes. After earning his bachelor's degree in political science from Pepperdine University and a master's degree in urban education policy from Brown University, Cruz began his career in education through Teach for America, teaching at a Bureau of Indian Education tribal grant school on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
His leadership roles in Oregon have included being a board member of the Klamath Tribes Economic Development Corporation and serving as chief of staff to the minority leader of the Oregon House of Representatives. Cruz served on the staff of two members of Congress and during that time, he focused on education, labor, civil service reform, appropriations and oversight. He played a significant role in the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 and helped advance the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act through the House.
His extensive experience in tribal and federal policy led to his being appointed as later principal deputy assistant secretary for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior during the first Trump administration.
Cruz's appointment fulfills Secretary Kennedy's promise made during his confirmation process to include Indigenous perspectives in high levels of his department.
"It was very important for me to have a Native American as part of my direct inner circle so that every decision that we make at HHS takes into consideration the impacts and the opportunities for Native Americans," Kennedy said. "I wanted to make sure that part of my legacy here at HHS is that we finally do something to improve the lives of Native Americans . . . Native Americans suffer more than any other population from the epidemic of chronic disease, and part of Mark's job is he's going to figure out all kinds of different ways that we can interact with the other agencies to change policies in order to provide the finest healthcare to our Native American populations."
