Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the appointment of Samia Al-Fareh as Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives. Al-Fareh, who most recently served as a personnel specialist for the City, will be primarily responsible for assisting in the execution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other strategic initiatives.
“Samia’s diverse skillset will lend itself well to the dynamic role that the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives must fulfill” said Syracuse Mayor Walsh. “As a key part of our ARPA team, she will identify projects ready for implementation, proactively identify obstacles to success and target opportunities for efficiency, to help us ensure that our ARPA funded initiatives have a tangible impact to better our community.”
In previous positions, Al-Fareh managed grant writing and reporting, conducted outreach and trainings as part of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, and identified areas of improvement, providing recommendations on information and software systems. In addition, Al-Fareh is skilled in program implementation and administration, including budget and risk management and has experience navigating the complexities of federal reporting requirements and protocols.
Al-Fareh received her Bachelor of Arts and Human Sciences from Sana’a University in Yemen, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). She is proficient in both English and Arabic, spoken and written, and has experience as an interpreter, serving as a cultural-broker and advocate for Syracuse residents and community members. Passionate about human rights and DE&I, Al-Fareh is trained in humanitarian and peacebuilding emergency assistance, sexual violence prevention, child and youth protection, and mental health first aid.
Can we turn the stop lights back to normal operations