Anita is a native Houstonian with 35+ years experience in higher education administration and has worked in the office of the Dean of Humanities since becoming a staff member in 1997. In her capacity as the school’s primary liaison with Human Resources, she is involved in all aspects of the life cycles of both faculty and staff from initial hire to the last day with Rice.

She oversees the day-to-day operations of the dean’s office, managing all staff positions within that office and provides guidance and oversight for staff in all other units in the school. She also serves in an advisory capacity, working with the university’s administrative offices, the dean, faculty and staff to find creative solutions to unusual situations and problems while ensuring compliance with school and university policies and procedures. Anita works with the dean and associate deans to create and implement new programs, initiatives, and opportunities within the school and to expand and grow existing programs. Anita is especially interested in working with staff to improve and utilize their skills and experience to the fullest and assisting them to move through and up the career ladders at Rice.

In addition to holding academic staff positions at Bowling Green State University, Luther College, and Louisiana Tech University, she has seven years experience as a legal assistant in a mid-sized law firm and two years experience supporting a division director and the faculty of a department at the UTHSC Medical School.

With an immediate family history that includes a nutritionist for Howard Hughes, a Piggy Wiggly grocer, a wholesale foods salesman, convenience store operator, cook, and operator of one of Houston’s very first take-out pizza parlors, Anita has a natural interest in food and likes to spend weekends searching bookstores and collecting cookbooks as a hobby. She also enjoys making and trying new recipes, especially in the Cajun cuisine she learned to love while living in Louisiana for nine years.