The start of the 112th Congress brings some new faces to Congresswoman Kathy Castor’s office. Castor is committed to having a diverse staff dedicated to serving Tampa Bay area residents.
Rene Munoz has been hired as legislative director. He previously worked for Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez and began his Hill career in the district office of Congressman Silvestre Reyes. Rene worked closely with the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee, so this experience will prove valuable as we work to bring resources to our district. Rene is also steeped in policy, with particular expertise in border security, defense and transportation. For Castor, he will manage the legislative staff and focus specifically on budget, appropriations, defense/ military issues, and banking and consumer protection. He also will concentrate on issues raised by the oil disaster.
Rene has Florida ties. He worked on a congressional campaign in the Tampa Bay area and proposed to Natalie, his fiancé, at the Post Card Inn on St. Pete Beach. Another plus for our district: Rene is fluent in Spanish. He is working on his master’s of public administration at the University of Texas-Arlington and has a bachelor’s in government from New Mexico State University Las Cruces.
“Rene has the right mix of experience to well serve the Tampa Bay community,” Castor said. “He has great insights into homeland security, defense and military issues – issues important to our active duty personnel, families and veterans connected to MacDill Air Force Base.”
Elizabeth Brown has been hired as a legislative assistant. She was previously a legislative assistant for Congressman Glenn Nye and for Congressman John Tanner. Brown has expertise on several issues pertinent to Tampa Bay area families, including veterans issues and health care.
Brown, a Nashville, Tenn., native, received her bachelor’s from Middle Tennessee State University in political science and her master’s in political management from George Washington University. Her mom is a nurse, leading Brown to develop a particular interest in health care.
“Elizabeth is an ideal fit,” Castor said. “She knows quite a bit about veterans affairs, which will serve our Tampa Bay community well as we tackle issues facing our troops, their families and veterans.”
Canaan McCaslin has been hired as a staff assistant. A Tampa native, he attended Armwood High School, where he played football. He has worked for the city of Tampa’s Economic and Urban Development department and for U.S. Sen. Robert Casey Jr. For Castor, McCaslin will handle science, technology and postal service issues, and he looks forward to working with his former neighbors when they call the office for tour and flag requests.
McCaslin received a bachelor’s in foreign service in Latin American and African Studies from Georgetown University and is working on a master’s in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. His parents still live in the Tampa Bay area.
“Canaan knows our community so well, having gone to high school at Armwood and working for the city of Tampa,” Castor said. “Plus, he has experience on Capitol Hill working directly with hometown constituents that will be a true asset to our Tampa Bay residents when they visit Washington.”
