Ms. Kiran Kumari Rao is a school administrator, civic leader, and a passionate racial healing advocate. Born in rural Haryana, an Indian state and raised on military bases, Kiran contracted polio as a child and was left with a permanent partial paralysis.

A gentle giant, what makes Kiran uniquely different, very special, and one of a kind, is the fact that she never let others define who she is, never let limitations others have placed on her deter her from her dreams, and never let the fact that what she wants to accomplish had never been accomplished before frightened her not to give it a try.

Since there was no such thing as disability accommodation where Kiran grew up, she had to adapt – walking on dirt roads wearing a leg brace to get to class and climbing stairs without handrails at school by holding onto the wall.

Despite these challenges, Kiran triumphed. She received two bachelor’s degrees from Andhra University and a master’s in environmental biology from Maharshi Dayanand University, before moving to the United States in 2002.

The tortuous road which led from Indian to the U.S eventually widened and lengthened into a superhighway of progress and hope for Kiran’s American dream. She first worked as a science teacher in the Fifth Ward of Houston. Then, she was given a full ride to the University of Texas at Austin, where she obtained a master’s in education while working full-time.

She was selected by Baylor College of Medicine for a teaching fellowship, and then was admitted to Houston Independent School District’s principal program. Currently, she is an assistant school principal of 8 years, and works at Pin Oak Middle School in Bellaire. She oversees 1200+ students and 100+ staff members and works to make sure children get the resources they need to thrive and live out their dreams.

A fresh voice in politics, with a remarkable story of adversity unheard of in contemporary politics, Kiran was candidate for the 2024 elections for Fort Bend County Commissioner for Precinct 3 - the most diverse county in the country.

Though she didn't get the results she wanted, after 20 years living the American Dream, and serving the public in various capacities, she still has an unwavering commitment to give back to a community that has given so much to her.

Kiran has the fusion of life experiences - passion for service, and mature outlook needed to make a meaningful impact on the lives of victims of colonization around the world. She brings to the Steering Committee over twenty years of resilience experience, with a unique ability to take a positive perspective on situations, view challenges as learning opportunities, regulate emotions/express feelings in appropriate ways, as well as focusing on the things she can control instead of dwelling on what she cannot change.