Dr. Ravi Rao was named the head coach of the debate program in the summer of 2014. He was elevated to the position after serving as a volunteer assistant under inaugural coach Dr. Robert Burns. Rao has also been an adjunct instructor in the School of Communications for two years at Lindenwood.
Rao brings exceptional experience and passion in the discipline. He was a successful debater for Ladue High School in the mid 1990's before co-founding the Washington University debate team later in the decade, one that received the Garrison Newcomer's Award in 1998. It's no coincidence that the Lindenwood program received the same award in 2014. After completing law school, Rao returned to St. Louis and was hired as the founding executive director of the St. Louis Urban Debate League (SLUDL) in 2008. While there, he oversaw the successful building of over 10 high school program in the St. Louis Public School System and was recognized by the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues for his efforts.
Rao graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and political science. He earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2006.
