Sara Zainab Bokhari is chief operating officer at BES, a national organization focused on developing excellent school leaders. Since joining BES in 2023, she has led the organization’s internal operations, including finance, technology, and talent, partnering closely with the leadership team to turn strategy into clear priorities and steady execution. Sara is known for building strong operating systems, strengthening management practices, and creating the conditions for teams to do their best work with clarity, trust, and momentum.

Sara brings experience across nonprofit, education, and corporate settings. She previously led people and culture at a rapidly growing education technology startup, where she built the people function as the organization scaled through successive growth phases, balancing rigor with care during periods of change. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade at TNTP, most recently as director of academic strategy, leading cross-functional work across literacy, professional learning, coaching, and talent selection, and helping launch the organization’s first diversity and inclusion training series. She has also served as a neurodivergent coach and consultant and began her career as a Teach for America corps member in New York City before teaching at an NGO school in Pakistan.

Sara received her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Arts in General Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, and a Masters of Business Administration, focusing on strategic management and public policy, from George Washington University. She is a board member at Unity Academy of Chicago. Based near Chicago, Sara is active in her community and, outside of work, can often be found on the pickleball court, hiking local trails, or spending time with her three kids.