Lara Manasfi

Lara Manasfi brings more than 25 years of experience in international education, with a leadership career spanning Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, to her work with Search Associates. She joined Search in 2025 as School Coordinator, supporting schools around the world with membership and recruitment.

Lara has served as an elementary principal, director of strategic initiatives, and regional advisor, holding senior leadership positions in Dhaka, Johor, and Yangon, and playing a key role in the launch and development of a new international school campus in South Korea. Her work has included guiding schools through curriculum transitions, leading WASC self-studies and accreditation visits, and redesigning communications strategies to strengthen school identity and stakeholder engagement. She has also advised leadership teams in Central Africa on alumni relations, internal systems, and strategic messaging, helping schools build systems that are mission-aligned, data-informed, and responsive to student and community needs.

Lara currently serves as Africa Schools Coordinator for the Learning Analytics Collaborative, supporting schools across the region in using data to drive teaching and learning, and is an active WASC accreditation chair and team member. At Search, she supports schools with all aspects of membership and recruitment, including onboarding, supported searches, and day-to-day consultation. The years she spent leading schools through exactly these kinds of transitions inform how she approaches that work, and what she looks for at each stage.

Lara is based in Kinshasa, DRC. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new places, visiting family around the world, spending time in nature, and pretending to help in the kitchen while her husband does the cooking.