Manes began her career in Washington, D.C. She accepted an internship with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chaired by
Claiborne Pell, and worked for the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, D.C. from 1992 to 1999. During that time, she also attended
American University, where she earned a Master's in Public Administration in 1996. Her subsequent assignments in the Foreign Service included ones at U.S. embassies in
Buenos Aires, Argentina;
Montevideo, Uruguay; Ponta Delgada-
Azores,
Portugal; and
Brasilia, Brazil. Manes served as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in
Kabul, Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013, and then accepted a short assignment in
Ft. Lauderdale as deputy director of the State Department's Florida Regional Center. She later served as Principal Deputy Coordinator at the Bureau of International Information Programs.
Tenure in El Salvador In October 2015, President Barack Obama nominated Manes to become U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, and she was confirmed by the Senate in December 2015. She served as ambassador until July 31, 2019. On May 26, 2021, it was announced that Manes had been designated as
Chargé d'affaires ad interim to the Republic of El Salvador. She left the post in November 2021 after indicating that she believed the government of El Salvador was not interested in relations with the United States.
Ambassador to Colombia Nomination On January 3, 2023, President
Joe Biden nominated Manes to be the ambassador to
Colombia. Her nomination expired on January 3, 2024, while pending before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was not resubmitted.
UNESCO Manes appointed Chargé d'affaires ad interim to
UNESCO in February 2024. ==References==