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A native St. Louisan, Ravi Rao, JD, developed a passion for social justice during his college years at Washington University. A lifelong debater and coach, Ravi went from captaining the high school team at a well-resourced public school in the county to coaching debate in some of the city’s most under-resourced schools. That profound firsthand exposure to resource disparity remained with Ravi upon his return to St. Louis after completing his legal studies at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Ravi co-founded and directed the St. Louis Urban Debate League, a non-profit organization that supported the establishment and growth of after-school debate teams in St. Louis’s urban schools. That experience convinced Ravi to pursue a career in nonprofit fundraising, where he combines his advocacy background with his passion for connecting prospective donors with the projects and causes that matter to them.
As a consultant to non-profits, Ravi combines his strengths as a researcher, communicator, and educator, locating the organizational stories that best convey impact to prospective donors while coaching staff and boards to maximize their resource development efforts. A resident of St. Louis City, Ravi lives with his beautiful wife, Kelli, son Arjuna, and beagle Hype. He can often be found chasing after the latter two in the evenings at Lafayette Square Park, coaching at a local debate tournament, or cheering on his beloved Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues from the nosebleeds. In his spare time, he enjoys all things Star Wars. |
