Preeti Patel

She was appointed as the Assistant Director effective January 25, 2026. In this capacity, Ms. Patel provides leadership responsibility for the Experience Office (Veterans Experience and Employee Engagement), Patient Advocate Office, Nutrition and Food Service, Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), and Safety Service.  

Prior to this position, Ms. Patel served as the Division Director for Development & Implementation, Technology & Innovation Service Line at the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) in VA Central Office. In this role, she led teams that modernized national crisis response platforms, including clinical documentation systems, text, and chat platforms. Prior to VCL, Ms. Patel was the Assistant Director of Program Management in the Office of Disability and Medical Assessment, where she served as the program lead integrating policy and operational initiatives across VHA’s Compensation and Pension Programs.  

Ms. Patel has been with VA since 2001 and has worked in various leadership roles at STVHCS, including Chief of Medical Administration Service (MAS) in 2019. In that role, Ms. Patel managed a service of over 470 staff and was responsible for strategic and operational oversight for all major MAS areas to include inpatient/outpatient medical administration, eligibility, and beneficiary travel. Ms. Patel has also served as Group Practice Manager and multiple Administrative Officer and Executive Assistant positions at STVHCS.  

Ms. Patel holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and Business Administration from the University of Houston – Clear Lake.