Ms. Faraj is a career member of the Senior Executive Service with extensive interagency experience in foreign policy and national security.  She currently serves as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Strategic Influence & Information Policy (formerly the Office of Information Operations Policy).  In this role, she serves as the Secretary’s Deputy Principal Information Operations Advisor; leads the Department’s information operations policy, strategy, and plans; manages the Strategic Information Oversight Board; and oversees a $225 million psychological operations budget.

Previously, Ms. Faraj served as the Principal Director for Security Cooperation, overseeing policy, strategy, and resource allocation for over $1.2 billion in Title 10 programs, as well as the Department’s humanitarian assistance and foreign disaster relief efforts.

Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Faraj held senior leadership positions at USAID, including Deputy Assistant Administrator for Planning, Learning, and Resource Management, where she led strategic planning and program design for more than 60 overseas missions.  She also served as Chief of Operations for USAID’s COVID-19 Task Force, managing budget and administrative functions for the Agency’s global response.  As Director of the Office of Development Cooperation, Ms. Faraj led engagement with bilateral and multilateral partners and represented the United States in intergovernmental negotiations. She played a lead role in the U.S. Government’s Syria response, including establishing the Syria Recovery Trust Fund, a multi-donor financing mechanism supporting essential services inside Syria.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Faraj held policy roles at the Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services focused on refugees, migration, and countering human trafficking.

Ms. Faraj began her career as a clinical practitioner in the nonprofit sector.  She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia and is a graduate of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Internal Coach Training Program.