Administrative Assistant for Strategic Initiatives
rmims@learnwithsam.org

Rita joined the SAM team in 2021, bringing with her a deep passion for education and community service. She earned an Associate’s degree in Medical Administration from Bryant Stratton College in Virginia, where she and her husband Steve were stationed during their twenty years of service in the U.S. Air Force.

Upon retirement, the couple and their son returned to their native Upstate where Rita continued her professional career in healthcare as a Clinical Director specializing in optometry and an ophthalmology Technician.

She is certified as an Instructor on the Spartanburg Regional Faculty of CPR Instructors and as a Fitness Coach. She served the District 7 Schools for over a decade, most recently as Power School Secretary.

Rita is the owner of Breath of Life CPR, Health and Wellness LLC, a business that provides Life Saving training, earning her the Start Me Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2020. She is a 2017 graduate of the Grassroots Leadership Development Institute and volunteers with the Spartanburg County Foundation.

When not at SAM or teaching CPR classes, Rita enjoys time with her family and cherishes her role as Nana Rita.