Raj Manhas

Who is Raj Manhas?

Raj Manhas is the superintendent of North Thurston Public Schools since July 1, 2009. He served as Seattle Public School District superintendent from 2003 to 2006.

He came to the Seattle Public Schools from Seattle Public Utilities, where he was director of field operations.

In 1973, Manhas arrived in Seattle, Washington to pursue a master’s degree in industrial engineering and business at the University of Washington. Upon graduation, he started a successful banking career that came to a halt when he refused a transfer to Asia for the sake of his children, who were still young at the time. Manhas then took on a job as deputy superintendent of the city’s water department and eventually became the director of field operations.

The son of a farmer, Manhas grew up in Saroya, a village in the Himalayan foothills of northern India.