hi, i'm rita
and I'm a software engineer and technical educator based out of Richmond, VA.
I'm the creator of SmartFlow Learning, an online academy built for entrepreneurs and freelancers who want to work smarter using AI and no-code tools. Through structured cohort-based courses, I teach practical business automation skills that save time and remove the tech overwhelm that holds so many people back. Smartflow Learning is an extension of everything I believe about tech education: that the right tools, taught the right way, can change the trajectory of someone's career and business.
I'm also the founder of Refactoring Tech, a community I created in 2018 to provide resources and mentorship to people from marginalized communities looking to break into the tech industry.
Previously, I was a Program Manager at New Relic, where I lead the initiative to connect early career technologists from around the globe to the world of observability through New Relic for Students.
I believe that tools and resources for learning tech should be accessible to everyone, no matter your age, gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background. I've dedicated the last 8 years of my career to working in technical education to make this happen and help reshape the tech industry to make it truly inclusive for all.
My other work includes:
webinar instruction and content creation at Thinkful
instruction, curriculum development, and instructor quality assurance at CodeWizardsHQ
curriculum development for the Coding Essentials course at Typing.com
technical + resume workshops for the University of British Columbia's Women in Engineering (WiE) organization
frontend curriculum development, facilitation and project management at Shopify
introduction to frontend and fullstack immersion instruction at CareerFoundry
instruction on frontend fundamentals, ruby, and rails for women in tech nonprofits
creating custom websites and applications for clients all over the world