About

Anita Rios is an experienced consultant, with a proven track record for helping leaders implement talent management strategies that make a difference in attracting, retaining, and developing a highly skilled and productive workforce. Her efforts in succession planning and leadership development at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities resulted in more than 60% mid-level and senior leader participants promoting to higher level positions. Participants from her programs went on to vice president and president roles and to lead colleges and universities both in Minnesota State and beyond. Anita’s work in creating action learning and executive development programs has been recognized nationally with the Paul Elsner lifetime leadership award and highlighted in The Chair Academy’s Leadership Journal.

With over 30 years as an organization development practitioner, beginning with her career at the University of Minnesota in gender equity and advancing women in higher education, she is adept at using employee involvement methods to identify needs and implement action plans that work. She has successfully worked with public and private colleges and universities in rural and urban settings on change initiatives and employee engagement efforts. Anita has also served on state, regional and national boards to guide and support talent acquisition and development efforts in colleges and universities, such as the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), Minnesota College and University Professional Association (MnCUPA-HR), and the Minnesota ACE Network for Women in Higher Education.

Anita earned her masters degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College. She is a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), from the Association for Talent Development and has certifications in various assessments, including: EQi, MBTI, DiSC, and StrengthsFinder.