Mr. Farooqi previously served as Associate Director/Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center (VAMC) starting July 2017 and on an acting basis prior to starting in November 2016. He was Acting Assistant Director at Atlanta VAMC (August-November 2016). Starting in October 2015, he served formally as Public Affairs Officer for VA Southeast Network (VISN 7), having joined VISN 7 in November 2013 as Operations Manager and simultaneously serving as Interim Strategic Planner and Interim Public Affairs Officer for extended periods until September 2015.

Before VISN 7, he was Senior Analyst in VHA Strategic Planning under the Office of the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Policy and Planning, where he coordinated VHA’s National Leadership Council Strategic Planning Summit, supported the VHA Strategic Plan, and coordinated VHA’s Performance Plan in VA’s Congressional Budget submission. He started his VA career as an Administrative Fellow at the Jackson VAMC in Mississippi. While there, he received the Secretary’s Hero Award for service during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

He is a graduate of the Executive Career Field Career Development Program (2008-2009), Leadership VA (2012-2013), and Excellence in Government Fellow Program (2015-2016). He currently serves on the VHA Graduate Health Administration Training Program Board and is a Certified Mentor.

He is currently President of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Alabama Chapter, also serving on the American Hospital Association’s Region 4 Policy Board, and the Alabama Hospital Association’s Education Taskforce. He achieved Fellow or Board-Certified Healthcare Executive status in 2009, has been a Member of the VA ACHE Regent’s Advisory Council (RAC) since 2016 and is the current RAC Awards and Recognition Committee Co-Chair. He was recognized with the 2021 Alabama ACHE Regent’s Senior Careerist Award and the 2020 Federal Sector Regent’s Award for Diversity and Inclusion.

He previously served terms on other boards including the National Capital Healthcare Executives, Leadership VA Alumni Association, Pets Are Loving Support (PALS), Mississippi HeARTs Against AIDS, and Unity Mississippi. He has spoken on national and regional webinars and panels related to leading successful change in healthcare organizations, Veteran healthcare, as well as diversity and inclusion and health equity. He has been interviewed and highlighted nationally (National Public Radio), statewide, and locally in media and professional publications and broadcasts related to COVID Pandemic efforts, vaccine efforts and hesitancy in minority populations. Originally from Texas where he earned his master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, he is also a graduate of the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science and a Life Member of Mensa.