Head of the Project Implementation Department at ALDA
Rita joined ALDA and ALDA+ as Head of the Project Implementation Department in February 2022. In this role, she oversees the overall management of all project managers and ongoing projects within the Association, ensuring coordinated, consistent, and unified actions across both organisations.
With extensive experience as a manager and unit coordinator, Rita previously worked at FELCOS Umbria, an Italian association of local authorities for sustainable development, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of international projects, monitoring and evaluation, as well as team coordination and intercultural networking.
Over her 8 years of professional experience, Rita has focused on strengthening citizen participation, good governance, and the accountability of local authorities in the context of sustainable development. She has managed regional and international projects funded primarily by organisations such as the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and the European Union (EuropeAid, DEAR, Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens, AMIF). She also coordinated two working units focused on Development Education and Awareness Raising and the Localisation of the SDGs through an integrated and participatory approach to local development policies.
In 2015, Rita was a research fellow on territorial heritage enhancement and community planning, and for six years, she assisted the course on Urban Planning for Development Cooperation at the University of Florence. She holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and a master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Florence.
A native Italian speaker, Rita is fluent in French and English.