Rita was born in St.Louis, Missouri, educated at Fontbonne College in St.Louis and also studied in France.

She became hostess for Music Time in Africa in 1978, joining VOA’s Africa Service as a well-qualified broadcaster and communicator following a number of years in commercial radio and television stations in Illinois, Texas and Washington,D.C. Speaking with Rita leaves no doubt as to her devotion to the cause of better cultural understanding among the many peoples of Africa and around the world. “I find my job spiritually rejuvenating because music establishes the global ties of all mankind.”

As writer and producer of Music Time in Africa for the past 40 years, Leo Sarkisian says, “Agood broadcaster can give you the who, what , when and where of a story or song, but Rita gives the listeners that something extra, something called the human feeling. Watch her expression as she talks about music and in her eyes you can see the hopes and dreams of the people to whom she is talking and you learn how music touches our lives.

Since joining VOA in 1978, traveling with Leo the Musicman , Rita has visited Africa a number of times and has been been interviewed on television and radio in every country they visited.