A native of Indianapolis, IN, Rita has published two books starting in 1998, with “Participatory Leadership and Brand Equity: A Blueprint for Success” being her third. Since earning her master’s degree in marketing, science, and communication from Franklin University in Columbus, OH, she has been teaching speech and communication at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Ivy Tech Community College.

She has worked a full-time position at the Recorder Media Group for 20+ years. As a professor since 1988, she has lectured and taught more than 1,000 students. She practices participatory leadership while managing the brands for educational institutions. This style enabled her to work with each student individually and help them develop the necessary skills to pass the class with the highest attainable grade, which is often an A.

From the first day of class, she encouraged lessons that gave her students aspiration by allowing them to “break the ice.” Students were instructed to pair up with a classmate and talk to them about their educational goals. This exercise allowed them to realize that although they had different backgrounds, most individuals had some level of anxiety with public speaking. From that day forward, the students were never reluctant to do their best in class.