Daren Giancola MBA

Mr. Giancola was appointed as the Assistant Medical Center Director of the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center (JHQVAMC) in Mountain Home, Tennessee, on September 10, 2023. Mr. Giancola brings over 15 years of VA knowledge, experience, and leadership to this position. He is currently focused on further enhancing the high-quality care delivered to our Veterans and support of our staff by providing oversight of the Integrity Compliance Office, Privacy Office, Research Compliance Office, Public Affairs Office, Veteran Experience Office, Patient Advocacy Office, and the Center for Development and Civic Engagement.

Mr. Giancola’s background and accomplishments include extensive experience working in several VA departments from the front line to Service Chief in levels 1a, 1c, and 2 facilities. He joined the VA as a frontline Program Support Assistant in 2009 at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He was later appointed as the Supervisory Program Specialist over the Compensation & Pension Department and the Integrated Disability Evaluation System. Mr. Giancola then joined Network Contracting Office 10 as a Program Analyst in 2015. From 2017 to 2020, he served as the Ambulatory Care Operations Director – Group Practice Manager for the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center in Pennsylvania before joining the JHQVAMC as Chief of the Business Office overseeing approximately 350 employees.

Mr. Giancola earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physiology and neuroscience from the University of California San Diego in 2008, and his Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University in 2012 while working at the VA. He has since continued his education as a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is also a graduate of the VA’s Health Care Leadership Development Program and a fellow of the Partnership for Public Service – Excellence in Government program.

One of his passions is the development of talent through education and mentoring. He currently serves as preceptor for bachelors- and masters-level students who are studying public health or health administration at a local university and sits on their Health Services Management & Policy Professional Advisory Committee. He was a coach for the Veterans Integrated Service Network 9 Leadership Development Program in 2023 and is currently part of the team creating a leadership development program for the JHQVAMC.