(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Triangle-area technology executive, Steve S. Rao, has recently graduated from the prestigious Institute of Political Leadership (IOPL) 2009 Fellows Program. Rao is a business development executive at Durham-based supply chain management software firm Datacraft Solutions and also the founder of TSG Academies, a local sports management firm in Morrisville. 

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. The organization’s Fellows Program is a series of 50+ educational seminars and workshops held throughout the state over a ten-week period covering campaign management, campaign finance, media preparation for a campaign, and policy and governance issues. 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.

“I am honored to have been a part of this program and believe that I am better prepared than ever to lead our state forward in some capacity,” Rao said.

Rao, a business-friendly Democrat, was one of ten citizens selected to join the 2009 class.

The 38-year-old technology executive is currently serving his second term on the State of North Carolina’s Information Technology Advisory Board, serving a vital role in helping North Carolina’s information technology become more innovative, efficient and responsive. He is an active member of the entrepreneurial networking group TiE Carolinas; the North Carolina Indian-American Political Action Committee; and serves on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Board.

In late 2009, Rao was one of the final candidates for the appointment to a vacated seat in House District 41 in the North Carolina General Assembly. In pursuing that appointment he became the first American of Indian origin to run for a seat in the Statehouse, focusing on the increasing importance of investments in innovation and entrepreneurship and how global challenges will force North Carolina leaders to tackle complex issues in the years ahead.

For more information about IOPL, visit www.iopl.org.

About Steve Rao
Steve Rao founded TSG Academies in 2004, one of the Research Triangle’s leading sports management and sports 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.