Joseph Dooley, a native of Bedford, Massachusetts retired May 30, 2015 as the Chief, Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford. In that capacity, he oversaw the services of 700 regularly scheduled volunteers. These volunteers provided almost 50,000 hours of volunteer service for hospitalized Veterans last year.

Mr. Dooley was employed with the Department of Veterans Affairs in various capacities since 1979. He was selected as the Voluntary Service Officer at Bedford in August, 1993. Joe is an experienced trainer in Adventure Based Counseling through Project Adventure in Hamilton, MA. He has clinical experience as a Recreation Therapist in Substance Abuse Treatment, Homeless Veterans Rehabilitation, Geriatrics & Extended Care and Mental Health.

Joseph Dooley was appointed as the VISN 1 VAVS Liaison from 2010 – 2015. He represented the VA Voluntary Service Program Managers to the leadership of the VA New England Healthcare Network. As the VISN 1 Liaison Mr. Dooley conducted quarterly field staff meetings and coordinated the annual VISN 1 VAVS Rep/Dep Training.

Joe was an original member of the work group that developed and refined the National Certification Exam designed to measure the core competencies requisite for employment as a Director of hospital volunteers. He maintains credentials as a Certified Administrator of Volunteer Services (CAVS) through the American Hospital Association.

Mr. Dooley has served as a Preceptor for a Technical Career Field (TCF) Intern and was a member for the VA Voluntary Service Central Office Field Resource Team. Joe was recognized nationally as the recipient of the VA Voluntary Service “Award for Excellence” in 2006. A Past President of the New England Association of Directors of Healthcare Volunteer Services, Joe received their New England Award for Professional Excellence in 2008. AHVRP recognized Mr. Dooley with their Award of Excellence in 2014.

Joseph Dooley currently serves as the VAVS Representative for United Veterans Services at the Manchester, NH VA Medical Center. He was recently appointed to the Board of the New Hampshire Association of Hospital Auxiliaries and Volunteers. He has presented training sessions on healthcare volunteerism locally, regionally and nationally. Mr. Dooley is widowed from the lovely Linda Dooley, a decorated Army Veteran of Operation Desert Shield.