(Morrisville, N.C.)  Triangle businessman and entrepreneur Steve Rao has been accepted into the prestigious 2009 Fellows Program taught through the Institute of Political Leadership (IOPL).

The Greensboro-based IOPL is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping North Carolinians with political potential to develop into the state’s future government leaders at the state and local levels. Former Fellows Program graduates include Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, N.C. Supreme Court Judge Mark Martin, and nine current members of the North Carolina General Assembly.

According to IOPL Executive Director Dr. Robin Dorff, the organization has been working to improve the quality of political and governmental leadership in North Carolina since 1987 and has graduated more than 800 Fellows who have gone on to run for elected office and to serve the people of North Carolina.

“IOPL is always looking for talented and dynamic leaders like Steve Rao, and we are excited to have him in our Fall 2009 class. Steve brings a global business perspective along with a passion for the political process to our Fellows Program, and we know he will be a valued contributor and a future leader in North Carolina politics,” Dr. Dorff said.

Rao is one of 10 citizens selected out of 60 applicants to join the 2009 class, who will participate in a series of 50+ educational seminars and workshops held throughout the state.

The 38-year-old Rao is the founder of a successful sports camp enterprise and currently serves as a business development executive for Datacraft Solutions, a global software company headquartered in Durham, N.C. He is currently serving his third term on the State of North Carolina’s Information Technology Advisory Board. The Board is charged with advising and consulting with the State Chief Information Officer on technology purchases, policies and issues, playing a vital role in helping North Carolina’s information technology become more innovative, efficient and responsive.

Rao is an active member of the entrepreneurial networking group TiE Carolinas; the North Carolina Indian-American Political Action Committee (NCINPAC); and serves on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Board. In December of 2008, he and his NCINPAC colleagues organized a standing-room-only discussion and rally to fight against terrorism and condemn terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, which drew business and political leaders including State Senator Josh Stein and U.S. Congressmen Bob Etheridge, David Price and Brad Miller.

Having visited manufacturing companies in the U.S. and overseas over the past few years, Rao sees technological innovation as a key for North Carolina’s global competitiveness.

“Our state needs to compete economically through development of a strong technological infrastructure and legislation that makes sense for our businesses and citizens,” Rao said.

First IOPL Fellows sessions begin later this month in Greensboro. For more information about IOPL, visit www.iopl.org.

Steve Rao founded TSG Academies in 2004, one of the Triangle’s leading sports management and coaching companies serving the sports and wellness needs of corporations, private schools, and municipalities. Prior to founding TSG, Steve was a Business Development manager at MindLever.com,an e-learning company acquired by Centra Software in 2001. Today, Steve is Director, Business Development at Datacraft Solutions, a global software company offering automated inventory replenishment systems, and is a charter member of TiE Carolinas and the President of the Indian American Forum for Political Education. He received his BA in Political Science and Economics from Emory University and a JD from the WVU University College of Law.