COLUMBUS — U.S. Sen.-elect J.D. Vance has announced the first round of appointments to his staff.

Jacob Reses will serve from Washington, D.C. as Vance’s chief of staff. Reses previously served as senior policy advisor to Sen. Josh Hawley, advising on a broad range of legislative issues, including technology, antitrust, trade and economic policy. Reses previously served as Director of Strategic Initiatives at Heritage Action for America. Reses has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.

Bryan Gray will serve as state director, overseeing Vance’s Ohio offices. Gray served as Vance’s political director for the primary and general elections. Prior to Vance’s campaign, Gray served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Ohio House of Representatives, where he was responsible for hiring staff. Gray has helped elect dozens of candidates to the Ohio Statehouse. Gray has a bachelor’s degree from Ave Maria University.

Additional staff appointments will be announced soon.