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Atif Qarni

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Atif Qarni
19th Virginia Secretary of Education
In office
January 13, 2018 – November 24, 2021
GovernorRalph Northam
Preceded byDietra Trent
Succeeded byFran Bradford
Personal details
Born
Atif Mustafa Qarni

1978 (age 45–46)
Pakistan
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseFatima Pashaei
EducationGeorge 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 service1996–2004
RankSergeant
UnitReserve
Battles/warsIraq War

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]

Early life and education

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Emigrating 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

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He 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

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Date 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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atif Qarni.

References

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  1. ^ Moomaw, Graham (21 December 2017). "Northam names Prince William civics teacher Atif Qarni as education secretary". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Khan, Hasan (August 5, 2016). "Footprints: Marine turned teacher countering Trump's rhetoric". Dawn. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Kirby, Jess (2024-06-06). "10 questions for 16 congressional candidates". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  5. ^ Hatzipanagos, Rachel (2013-11-05). "Election Results: How Manassas Park Voted in the Delegate Races". Patch. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  6. ^ "Virginia Elections Database » 2015 Senate of Virginia Democratic Primary District 29". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  7. ^ Koma, Alex (2017-12-21). "Northam names Prince William teacher as Virginia's next education secretary". Inside NOVA. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  8. ^ Hand, Mark (2021-12-01). "Northam Appoints New Education Secretary As Qarni Leaves For Temple University". Patch Media. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b Vakil, Caroline (2024-06-19). "Suhas Subramanyam wins Virginia Democratic primary for Wexton's seat". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  11. ^ "Former Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni Enters the Race for Virginia's 10th Congressional District". WFLA. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  12. ^ "November 2013 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2015-04-06. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  13. ^ "June 2015 Democratic Primary Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
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