Rita is a Senior Advisor at Norwest, providing guidance to portfolio companies and their CEOs to shape product strategy, go-to-market execution, and operational growth.

An accomplished entrepreneur, software executive, and board director, Rita brings over 25 years of experience leading teams across sales, marketing, product, and operations in early-stage and public companies. She has built and scaled enterprise software and SaaS businesses across diverse industries, including technology, retail, healthcare, and education, with a consistent focus on driving growth, profitability, and customer success.

Rita is a Partner with Rebar Advisors, an advisory firm dedicated to helping early to growth stage companies achieve product-market fit and accelerate their growth. Prior to co-founding Rebar, Rita led product growth and partnerships for Facebook’s Business Messaging Platforms, where she oversaw teams responsible for building the WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram Direct messaging businesses. Her responsibilities included scaling user growth, monetization, and overseeing key initiatives that advanced the platforms’ global reach and engagement.

Before Facebook, Rita was the CEO of MyBuys, a marketing technology company that developed AI-powered, hyper-personalization software, and the CEO of Amadesa, a digital experience optimization platform. Earlier in her career, Rita held leadership roles in sales, business development, and product at Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard and was a management consultant with Bain & Company.

Rita serves on the Board of Directors for Trinity Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S., and Strategic Education (NASDAQ: STRA), an education services company dedicated to advancing economic mobility through higher education programs and employer partnerships.

Known for her results-driven approach, Rita is passionate about helping leaders translate their strategic vision into scalable, sustainable growth. She holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.