TEMPE, Ariz. – Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson announced Friday the hire of former United States Navy commanding officer Natesh "Tesh" Rao as Senior Associate Athletics Director within Sun Devil Athletics.
Rao served 20 years as an officer and aviator in the Navy. During his career, he completed more than nine international deployments and was the first Indian American Commander to lead a U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Training Squadron beginning in 2012. In 2016, Rao transitioned into the private sector at Starbucks working in Government Affairs and Public Policy.
"I am thrilled to join the Sun Devil Athletics team," Rao said. "This is a dream come true and an opportunity of a lifetime. I cannot wait to start helping our student-athletes excel, both inside and outside of the classroom, and to help our teams win championships the right way."
In 2014, Rao commanded the top aviation training squadron of over 250 Navy and Marine Corps pilots and civil servants. In 2009, he was also hand selected by the senior most Commander at NATO to serve as military aide and special assistant, conceptualizing and designing a new organizational model for NATO forces that reduced costs by 30 percent yet improved operational efficiencies.
Over the years, Rao has spoken to several collegiate and professional sports teams on overcoming adversity and handling high-stress environments. Rao partnered with the National Football League (NFL) to promote volunteer efforts with the United Service Organization (USO), and implemented mentoring events between military personnel and professional athletes.
Rao brought two decades worth of leadership skills from the Navy to Starbucks where he was responsible for advancing corporate initiatives and managing strategic relationships among a variety of stakeholders to advance corporate goals. During his time at Starbucks, Rao helped expand upon the corporation's partnership with Arizona State University by designing and implementing a global learning platform. Ultimately, this platform will increase educational opportunities for all Starbucks employees and create pathways to admission at ASU. This is the first of its kind in the company's history, and the program is now piloting in Brazil, Canada, India, and the U.K.
"The addition of Tesh to our staff will streamline the efficiencies of Sun Devil Athletics," Anderson said. "Tesh has operated at a high level within our national government and the private sector, and now has a chance to bring his talents to collegiate athletics to benefit our coaches and our student-athletes."
Rao's responsibilities with Sun Devil Athletics will include, among others, strategic planning, sport oversight of selected Olympic sports, global expansion, revenue enhancement, coach and student-athlete leadership development, and special projects on behalf of the athletics director. Rao's official start date with Sun Devil Athletics is June 26, 2017.
Rao served 20 years as an officer and aviator in the Navy. During his career, he completed more than nine international deployments and was the first Indian American Commander to lead a U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Training Squadron beginning in 2012. In 2016, Rao transitioned into the private sector at Starbucks working in Government Affairs and Public Policy.
"I am thrilled to join the Sun Devil Athletics team," Rao said. "This is a dream come true and an opportunity of a lifetime. I cannot wait to start helping our student-athletes excel, both inside and outside of the classroom, and to help our teams win championships the right way."
In 2014, Rao commanded the top aviation training squadron of over 250 Navy and Marine Corps pilots and civil servants. In 2009, he was also hand selected by the senior most Commander at NATO to serve as military aide and special assistant, conceptualizing and designing a new organizational model for NATO forces that reduced costs by 30 percent yet improved operational efficiencies.
Over the years, Rao has spoken to several collegiate and professional sports teams on overcoming adversity and handling high-stress environments. Rao partnered with the National Football League (NFL) to promote volunteer efforts with the United Service Organization (USO), and implemented mentoring events between military personnel and professional athletes.
Rao brought two decades worth of leadership skills from the Navy to Starbucks where he was responsible for advancing corporate initiatives and managing strategic relationships among a variety of stakeholders to advance corporate goals. During his time at Starbucks, Rao helped expand upon the corporation's partnership with Arizona State University by designing and implementing a global learning platform. Ultimately, this platform will increase educational opportunities for all Starbucks employees and create pathways to admission at ASU. This is the first of its kind in the company's history, and the program is now piloting in Brazil, Canada, India, and the U.K.
"The addition of Tesh to our staff will streamline the efficiencies of Sun Devil Athletics," Anderson said. "Tesh has operated at a high level within our national government and the private sector, and now has a chance to bring his talents to collegiate athletics to benefit our coaches and our student-athletes."
Rao's responsibilities with Sun Devil Athletics will include, among others, strategic planning, sport oversight of selected Olympic sports, global expansion, revenue enhancement, coach and student-athlete leadership development, and special projects on behalf of the athletics director. Rao's official start date with Sun Devil Athletics is June 26, 2017.