Rita Foley is a professional Director who, after a successful and diversified 33-year career in the corporate world, now enjoys a portfolio career. She sits on the boards of publicly-traded PetSmart and Dresser-Rand, and chairs the Board of Pro Mujer, a not-for-profit microfinance and health organization. She is also on the Advisory Boards of Nina McLemore Inc. and is a trustee of The HealthCare Chaplaincy. Rita has recently been honored by NACD for their Inaugural 2007 Not-for-Profit Director of the Year award.
Rita is co-author, with Catherine Allen, Nancy Bearg and Jaye Smith, of a forthcoming book on workplace sabbaticals, Reboot Your Life.
These appointments follow a very successful business career which culminated at $6B MeadWestvaco as Global President of the $1.1B Consumer Packaging Group. Under her leadership, MeadWestvaco became the world's largest media packager and a lead supplier to the consumer products, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Rita's efforts resulted in industry-leading profitability and growth.
Earlier in her career, Rita was EVP, Worldwide Operations for QAD in Santa Barbara, CA, a global enterprise resources and supply chain software company. Rita spent 17 years of her career at Digital Equipment Corp in sales and marketing and leading computer sales, systems integration services and the Partners organization.
Rita chairs the Board of Pro Mujer, a 17-year-old organization that provides micro loans, health services and training to poor women in Latin America. Based in part on her work with Pro Mujer, Rita was honored with the 2006 United Nations Population Fund Award for lifelong work with women and their health issues.
Rita was elected a trustee of Healthcare Chaplaincy, one of the largest multi-faith, not-for-profit centers for pastoral care, education, research and consulting in the world. She serves on the Advisory board of Nina McLemore Inc., a designer of women's fashion clothing that appeals to powerful, smart women who are either community philanthropists or business executives.
Educated in the US and abroad, Rita received her Diploma from the University of Geneva in 1974 and a BA with Honors in Psychology from Smith College (Northampton, MA) in 1975. She graduated from INSEAD'S Aims program in 1993, and Stanford's Executive MBA Program (SEP) in 1995. Rita is a member of the Women's Forum, Women Corporate Directors, and is a member of the Economic Club of New York.
