Rita attended the University of Illinois with the intent to teach
fine arts to young people. As a member of "Omnimov",
U of I's African-American Cultural Center's Dance Troupe, she
accompanied the director of Omnimov and demonstrated various dance
movements to African-American youths in the community. She was
also involved in local plays, musicals and dance shows that were
made up of the African-American community and the university.
While teaching physical education at the University of Illinois,
Rita made a decision to pursue a career in nursing. While in nursing
school, she continued to stay connected to the African American
community by volunteering to do blood pressure checks and provide
health education in the local housing projects.
With a focus on mental illness, alcoholism and addictions, Rita
has worked in behavioral health hospitals. She was co-facilitator
of an African-American, church based, support group for significant
others of chemically dependent individuals. She also obtained
a certification in addictions counseling during this time. In
1992, Rita became manager of
"New Choice", The Carle Pavilion's Alcohol and Drug
Rehabilitation Center in Champaign and she was the first African-American
to hold this position. In 1995, she was hired as The Pavilion's
Director of Nursing, again becoming the first African-American
nurse executive in the area to hold this position. She obtained
a Masters of Science degree in Hospital Services Administration
from the University of St. Francis in 1999.
Rita is currently employed at Parkland College as a recruiter
for the Health Professions. She serves as a senator for the Parkland
College Association and was elected to serve on the Diversity
Committee. She serves as a representative of Parkland's Equal
Employment Opportunity Search Committee, Parkland's Marketing
Committee and the Multicultural Student Advisory Committee. Rita
is an advisor to the Student Nurse Association at Parkland and
the Nursing Pinning Committee. She also facilitates Sister-To-Sister,
a support network for African American females at Parkland College.
When not at Parkland, Rita is actively involved in her church
in Urbana where she serves on the cooking committee. She is an
active member of the National Council of Negro Women and involved
in SisterNet, a support network for African-American women in
the community. Rita was also elected to serve on the Board of
Directors for the Illini Chapter American Red Cross. Rita currently
lives in Champaign with her three children, Lenny, Crystal, and
Brandon. She is grandmother of Tyrique, a toddler, who lives in
Texas with his mother.
Rita M. Myles
)
denotes original charter members of the Champaign County Section
of the National Council of Negro Women.