About Rita
From startup CFO to Microsoft Finance Leader, Rita has spent 20+ years scaling businesses, building systems and growing talent.
Rita's Demo
After watching talented leaders burn out, Rita took to the stage to help them lead, grow and last—without losing themselves along the way.
Rita's Testimonials
She brings to the table a rare combination of authenticity, warmth and leadership and I look forward to seeing her continue to shine...
Growth stalls when leaders do.
When talented leaders burn out, high performers get overlooked and teams struggle to adapt to AI, growth stalls. Rita’s HEAL, RAISE and COACH frameworks address all three—sustainable leadership, career visibility and talent development in the AI era.
Through her signature talk, Leading on Empty, Rita shows leaders how to face pressure with grace, pivot with power and lead with presence—without burning out, shrinking or losing credibility.
She lives by one truth: Guilt less. Get more.
"She brings to the table a rare combination of authenticity, warmth and leadership and I look forward to seeing her continue to shine!"
Deepali R.
Producer, World Finance Forum
About Rita
Rita Maria Reed is an award-winning Finance Leader whose 20+ year career spans startup CFO to leading finance across $50 billion in business at Microsoft.
Her journey began at her grandfather’s produce stand and took her from Wall Street intern to CFO by age 29. Across technology, financial services and the public sector, Rita has scaled businesses, built finance systems, led transformation and developed teams—with 85% of her Microsoft talent earning promotions.
Experience taught her something simple: growth stalls when leaders do.
Rita brings CFO judgment, operating discipline and a proven record developing and transforming teams and talent into visible leaders who last in the AI era—without guilt, shrinking or losing credibility.
Rita has spoken to and trained 500+ leaders on AI, transformation, talent development, personal branding and career growth, including audiences at Microsoft, AICPA, Financial Executives International, CFO Leadership Council and World Finance Forum. Her insights have been featured by ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, Bloomberg, AP and EBONY, and by Rillion as a podcast guest and contributor to its 2026 State of AI in Finance report.
Through her signature talk, Leading on Empty, Rita shows leaders how to sustain performance without burning out, shrinking or losing credibility. Her HEAL, RAISE and COACH frameworks turn two decades of operating and people leadership into practical tools for building sustainable leaders, visible careers and stronger teams in the AI era.
Rita holds a Bachelor's in Accounting from Xavier University of Louisiana, an MBA from The Wharton School, and is a CPA. Her honors include EBONY’s 30 Leaders Under 30, CityBusiness Women of the Year, Xavier's 40 Under 40 and Microsoft’s CFO People Leadership Award. When she isn’t leading, speaking or teaching, Rita travels to concerts, celebrates Mardi Gras and hip thrusts 400+ pounds at the gym.
She lives by one truth: Guilt less. Get more.
Rita's Talks
Rita’s talks tackle three challenges: sustaining performance, developing talent, and staying valuable in the AI era.
Talk One
Leading on Empty: 4 Steps to HEAL Before You Break
This talk is for high performers carrying heavy loads while still expected to lead. It shows how to stay calm, clear, and present even when life throws you off course.
Attendees will learn four simple steps to lead with heart and strength, even in hard seasons.
Real leadership starts when you stop pretending and choose to show up as you are. These steps build stronger teams, better choices, and trust that lasts.
COACH: Developing Talent in the
AI Era
AI is changing how work gets done. This talk helps leaders build credibility, judgment, and ownership while AI takes on more work.
Attendees learn how to coach without becoming the answer key, decide what people should own, and use AI to help people grow.
The goal is simple: build credible leaders, stronger teams, and better decisions in the AI era.
Talk Two
Talk Three
The Visibility Edge: How to RAISE Your Value in the AI Era
This talk is for high performers who do great work but still get overlooked. It shows why performance alone is not enough and how to turn your work into visibility and value.
Attendees will learn how to make their impact clear, build influence, and use their voice so people know what they bring to the table.
As AI changes how work gets done, standing out takes more than doing more. RAISE helps professionals build the visibility, credibility, and strategic value to grow their careers in the AI era.
What Clients Say
Connect
with Rita
Transforming talent and teams into visible leaders who last in the AI era—without guilt, shrinking or losing credibility.
+1 281-720-6907
