Atif Mustafa Qarni (born 1978) is an American teacher, former military non-commissioned officer, and Democratic politician who was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam as Virginia Secretary of Education.[1]
Atif Qarni | |
---|---|
19th Virginia Secretary of Education | |
In office January 13, 2018 – November 24, 2021 | |
Governor | Ralph Northam |
Preceded by | Dietra Trent |
Succeeded by | Fran Bradford |
Personal details | |
Born | Atif Mustafa Qarni 1978 (age 45–46) Pakistan |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Fatima Pashaei |
Education | George Washington University George Mason University (MA) Strayer University (MEd)[citation needed] Vanderbilt University |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | U.S. Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1996–2004 |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit | Reserve |
Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Early life and education
editEmigrating from Karachi, Pakistan, with his family at the age of ten, Qarni grew up in Parkville, Maryland, before moving to Manassas, Virginia, in 2005.[2] He obtained a bachelor’s degree in sociology from George Washington University, a master’s in history and a teaching license in secondary education from George Mason University, and is a doctoral candidate at Vanderbilt University.[3][4]
Career
editHe served in the United States Marine Corps, was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and rose to the rank of Sergeant.[2][3] He served as a paralegal at the international law firm McDermott Will & Emery before beginning a career in teaching.[citation needed] He then served as a civics, economics, U.S. history, and math teacher at Beville Middle School in Dale City.[2][3] Qarni ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2013, losing to incumbent Bob Marshall,[5] and for the Virginia Senate in 2015, losing the Democratic nomination to Jeremy McPike.[6] He was appointed as the Virginia Secretary of Education by governor Ralph Northam in 2017.[3][7] In 2021, he resigned from the cabinet position to become the managing director of external affairs at Temple University’s Hope Center.[8][9] In 2024, he ran in the Democratic primary for Virginia's 10th congressional district, placing third.[10][11]
Electoral history
editDate | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia House of Delegates, 13th district | |||||
Nov 5, 2013[12] | General | Robert G. Marshall | Republican | 8,946 | 51.33 |
Atif M. Qarni | Democratic | 8,448 | 48.47 | ||
Write Ins | 35 | 0.20 | |||
Virginia Senate, 29th district | |||||
Jun 9, 2015[13] | Primary | Jeremy S. McPike | Democratic | 1,377 | 43.18 |
Atif M. Qarni | 1,152 | 36.12 | |||
Michael T. Futrell | 660 | 20.70 | |||
United States House of Representatives, Virginia's 10th district | |||||
Jun 18, 2024[10] | Primary | Suhas Subramanyam | Democratic | 13,504 | 30.4 |
Dan Helmer | 11,784 | 26.6 | |||
Atif Qarni | 4,768 | 10.7 | |||
Eileen Filler-Corn | 4,131 | 9.3 | |||
Jennifer Boysko | 4,016 | 9.0 | |||
David Reid | 1,419 | 3.2 | |||
Michelle Maldonado | 1,412 | 3.2 | |||
Adrian Pokharel | 1,028 | 2.3 | |||
Krystle Kaul | 982 | 2.2 | |||
Travis Nembhard | 722 | 1.6 | |||
Marion Devoe | 386 | 0.9 | |||
Mark Leighton | 224 | 0.5 |
References
edit- ^ Moomaw, Graham (21 December 2017). "Northam names Prince William civics teacher Atif Qarni as education secretary". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c Khan, Hasan (August 5, 2016). "Footprints: Marine turned teacher countering Trump's rhetoric". Dawn. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Truong, Debbie (December 21, 2017). "Pr. William middle school teacher appointed Virginia's next education secretary". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Kirby, Jess (2024-06-06). "10 questions for 16 congressional candidates". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Hatzipanagos, Rachel (2013-11-05). "Election Results: How Manassas Park Voted in the Delegate Races". Patch. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ "Virginia Elections Database » 2015 Senate of Virginia Democratic Primary District 29". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Koma, Alex (2017-12-21). "Northam names Prince William teacher as Virginia's next education secretary". Inside NOVA. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Hand, Mark (2021-12-01). "Northam Appoints New Education Secretary As Qarni Leaves For Temple University". Patch Media. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Leonor, Mel (2021-11-30). "Virginia Education Secretary Atif Qarni has resigned, heading to post at Temple University". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ a b Vakil, Caroline (2024-06-19). "Suhas Subramanyam wins Virginia Democratic primary for Wexton's seat". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ "Former Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni Enters the Race for Virginia's 10th Congressional District". WFLA. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ "November 2013 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2015-04-06. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- ^ "June 2015 Democratic Primary Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016.