Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Websites
Awards
Affiliations
Timeline
Generic

Rita Emmons

Cincinnati

Summary

Dynamic Product Agility Coach with a proven track record at Cox Enterprises, driving Agile transformations and enhancing product management capabilities. Expert in strategic planning and team leadership, I successfully implemented a comprehensive curriculum that increased collaboration and revenue growth, while optimizing processes to achieve significant efficiency improvements.

Overview

15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Lead Product Agility Coach

Cox Enterprises
Atlanta
01.2023 - Current
  • Spearheaded creation and implementation of comprehensive Product Management curriculum, revolutionizing Product organization at Cox Enterprises
  • Strategized and launched Product Communities of Practice to enhance collaboration and cultivate peer-to-peer knowledge exchange
  • Innovated gamification program for skills growth to promote autonomous professional development and provide People Leaders with tools to support team member progression
  • Collaborated directly with Senior Leaders to establish organizational goals and objectives, ensuring seamless alignment between strategy and execution
  • Integrated Agile Transformation Strategy Roadmap with Product Led Initiatives, crafting cohesive Product Development and Agile Delivery System
  • Optimized productivity by implementing meeting hygiene best practices and clarifying roles and responsibilities, resulting in reduction of non-value-add meetings
  • Revived business-IT relationships by introducing customer-centric tactics and practices to uncover root causes of customer problems
  • Collaborated with senior leadership to develop, implement, and refine Product Operating Model to ensure safe, efficient, and consistent creation and delivery of valuable solutions

Principal Consultant, Agile Delivery & Product Agility Practice Lead

Eliassen Group
Boston
01.2022 - Current
  • Led development of new suite of Product Service offerings, generating $10+ million in net new revenue with 30% gross margin
  • Developed go-to-market strategy for Business Agility Product Service Offering
  • Collaborated with sales teams as Sales Engineering partner, conducting in-depth discovery sessions to co-create tailored roadmaps addressing client challenges
  • Led BioPharma Vertical, ensuring alignment between EG life sciences strategy and client strategy, resulting in successful delivery within highly regulated industry
  • Orchestrated planning and execution of Biopharma Vertical OKRs, strategy, and roadmap, driving efficient and effective product delivery
  • Created and implemented custom product and delivery framework targeted at GxP-regulated environments
  • Facilitated creation and implementation of customized Product Management curriculum and operating model for Fortune 500 enterprise
  • Devised tailored training and coaching plan for Product Leaders at all organizational levels
  • Pioneered development and launch of Product Discovery Training course, equipping teams with essential skills for effective product discovery
  • Developed customer personas to inform targeting of innovative products, facilitating entry into new markets and resulting in $650K revenue increase
  • Implemented modularized Product Practice Catalog, offering fitness-for-use solutions to clients seeking targeted product management thought leadership
  • Modernized existing Product Management Courseware, integrating key concepts including Product Marketing, Product Discovery, Product Lifecycle, and Project-to-Product Mindset

E-commerce Program Coach / Digital Transformation Coach

Lowe's
04.2018 - 10.2025
  • Executed coaching plans and assessments to enhance agile maturity and sustainability of teams.
  • Trained Product Owners and Product Managers to ensure successful transition into new roles.
  • Collaborated with Senior Leaders to evaluate work intake processes and identify improvement opportunities.
  • Contributed to Lowe’s JIRA advisory board by reviewing tooling requests and creating training content.

Strategic Product Coach / Digital & Agile Transformation Coach

KraftHeinz Co.
North America & International
01.2021 - 01.2022
  • Steered successful implementation of JIRA Align for Portfolio and Program Management, ensuring efficient project tracking and reporting
  • Collaborated with Agile Center of Excellence (CoE) Leaders to develop tailored transformation strategy addressing unique needs of various lines of business
  • Orchestrated and facilitated engaging in-person Agile and Innovation workshops for KHC International Senior Leadership Team
  • Served as Senior Product Coach providing expertise and support across product innovation, supply chain, and digital transformation
  • Conducted personalized 1:1 coaching sessions with Product Managers and Release Train Engineers, enabling smooth transition into roles
  • Mitigated budget overrun in high-risk initiative by proactively engaging with customers and fostering collaboration
  • Led crafting and creation of Lean Portfolio Management Team to streamline existing processes and optimize tooling

Strategic Product/Dojo Coach

Kroger Technology & Digital
Cincinnati
01.2020 - 01.2022
  • Utilized hybrid engagement approach incorporating Product Dojos, Enterprise/Executive Coaching, Tool Enablement, and Technical Coaching
  • Spearheaded implementation of Product Dojo Challenges for all Product Development teams to create safe immersive and experiential learning experience
  • Crafted and executed strategy to expand scalability of Product Dojos, increasing concurrent Dojo Challenges from 4 to 16
  • Facilitated Dojo Discovery Workshop alongside Senior Digital Leaders, delving into critical challenges to empower Product Development Teams
  • Developed and implemented skills growth strategy to amplify internal coaching capabilities, decreasing reliance on external partners and minimizing costs
  • Collaborated with Senior Product and Technical Leadership to create and deploy customized Discovery and Delivery framework
  • Integrated established success patterns and capitalized on modern Product and Technical Craftsmanship principles
  • Revamped OKR, Agile, and Product cadences to streamline meeting overhead and address communication and alignment constraints
  • Worked directly with Senior Leaders to create organizational OKRs ensuring clear alignment between strategy and execution
  • Served as primary mentor and Dojo manager for 18+ Dojo Coaches, nurturing development and achievements while facilitating transition of Program ownership to internal associates

Managing Director, Product Agility

Cprime, Inc.
San Mateo
01.2018 - 01.2022
  • Maintained 34-40% gross margin year-over-year for 4 consecutive years
  • Recruited and mentored team of 16+ Product Coaches transitioning from corporate product roles to consulting/coaching positions
  • Led Delivery Management in Product Agility Practice, ensuring successful execution and delivery of client statements of work
  • Collaborated with Agile Practice Leaders to develop annual strategic roadmap aligned with Cprime's overall strategic goals
  • Drove revenue growth and improved gross margins within portfolio, achieving $12 million revenue increase over two years
  • Developed and managed Product Practice Roadmap, fostering shared focus on product outcomes among team members
  • Launched new Product Service Offerings including Product Dojos, Make-Dev, Learning Journeys and Credits, and JIRA Align JTbD Training and Coaching
  • Served as Product Manager for Internal Practice Asset Library, transforming it into user-centric product with utilization increase from 10% to 80%
  • Developed internal engagement plan to foster collaborative learning within Product Agility and Enterprise Agility practices
  • Established and refined Delivery Management and Operations Framework in Product Agility domain
  • Served as strategic partner to Account Executives throughout sales process, exploring and presenting innovative solutions
  • Collaborated with Agile Center of Excellence (CoE) to educate and integrate best practices across different disciplines
  • Established pre-sales enablement team bridging gap between delivery and sales teams, resulting in $4 million in new product sales and 60% expansion with existing clients
  • Demonstrated proven track record of growing accounts in terms of services and revenue, with Fortune 50 accounts experiencing over 100% growth

Lean Agile Transformation Program Manager

Chevron
01.2019 - 01.2020
  • Rescued a failing initiative in less than one month, leading to a $500K savings in estimated course correction.costs
  • Developed a repeatable pattern for Agile Transformation from Team to Portfolio with success measures and criteria at each level
  • Prepared, trained, and launched over 20 Agile Teams and 5 Agile Release Trains
  • Created an Agile Toolkit to enable consistency and sustainability post-coaching engagement.
  • Conducted Value Stream Identification workshops to align the business around strategic products.
  • Worked with Senior Leaders to perform a deep dive analysis and gap assessment on current state portfolio operations.
  • Provided a current state Portfolio assessment with recommendations for optimization and streamlining to align with Agile Release Train execution.
  • Created and executed Lean Portfolio Management and Participatory Budgeting workshops to visualize future state Portfolio operations and governance.
  • Worked directly with Business partners to ensure alignment and visibility of Product Strategy
  • Trained and mentored over a dozen product owners and product managers in the art of Product Discovery and its integration into the System of Delivery ensuring that the Delivery Teams are consistently working on the right things at the right time.

Lead Agile Transformation Coach

Cornerstone Home Lending
01.2018 - 01.2019
  • Prepared, trained, and launched 6 agile teams on an Agile Release Train
  • Conducted Value Stream Mapping Workshops to align the organization around Products as opposed to Projects.
  • Partnered with the CIO, CEO, and VP of Sales and Marketing to align and streamline the Portfolio and its related processes around strategic products.
  • Conducted LPM training with senior leaders to demonstrate and visualize how LMP could be utilized within the organization.
  • Trained internal associates in advanced user skills within the designated toolset.
  • Restructured traditional PMO to an Agile VMO

Lean Agile Transformation Coach

Florida Power & Light
01.2017 - 01.2018
  • Strategized and executed implementation plan for consolidated Financial Center of Excellence (FCOE).
  • Launched 11 Agile teams in two Agile Release Trains with comprehensive training.
  • Collaborated with senior leaders to streamline FCOE initiative prioritization and execution.
  • Enhanced FCOE cycle times by 40% through efficiency improvements.
  • Aligned business processes with IT operations to resolve priorities and dependencies.
  • Implemented Atlassian tools for agile management and operational support.
  • Reorganized portfolio work to align with FCOE strategy, mitigating delays.
  • Elevated capabilities of eight Product Owners and four Product Managers to maintain workflow.

Enterprise Lean Agile Consultant/Digital Transformation Coach

Kroger Technology & Digital
01.2015 - 01.2017
  • Enterprise Transformation Coach for Lean-Agile Transformation initiative
  • Partnered with Executive Leadership to develop and implement an internal coaching strategy.
  • Developed multiple training workshops to help Agile teams refine their framework skills.
  • Facilitated the start-up of multiple Communities of Practice: Scrum Master, Product Owner, Release Train Engineer, Development, Leadership
  • Built positive relationships with Leadership to create a fostering and supportive environment for teams.
  • Prepared, trained, and launched 4 Large Solution Trains to support significantly complex Solutions.
  • Prepared and launched over 12 Agile Release Trains comprised of over 70 teams.Re-structured large teams into small cross-functional teams. Feature delivery increased by 45%
    All ARTs have achieved a minimum of 80% predictability.
    Lean value stream mapping led to significant reductions in the cycle time of internal processes.
  • Partnered with Senior Leadership to streamline Portfolio Management Processes and PracticesAligned Portfolio Strategy to properly support Agile Release Train execution.
    Migrated from Project Based to Product Based Portfolios, leading to a net reduction of 75% in overhead management from current state to future state Portfolio Management
    Analyzed current Portfolio tools and implemented a streamlined Atlassian toolset to better align with implemented LPM Processes and Practices from strategy to execution.
  • Served as Scrum Master for 4 Kroger Mobile App teams, resolving impediments, conducting standups, retrospectives, planning sessions, and creating tracking plans such as burn-down charts and burn-up charts.
  • Transitioned SOA team to Kanban, for a 25% flow improvement
  • Mentored six incoming/transforming internal Scrum Masters and Product Owners on the appropriate and practical application of Agile principles and practices.
  • Built productive working relationships across the organization utilizing negotiation and persuasion skills, conflict resolution, continuous improvement, and increasing transparency.
  • Led the growth of e-commerce solutions leading to 5MM new customers
  • Created and executed customized coaching plans for various teams of size, skillset, and Agile maturity.

Principal Consultant, Agile Advisory Services

Cardinal Solutions
01.2013 - 01.2017
  • Served as Lean-Agile Coach and Scrum Master for multiple client projects.
  • Contributed to development and delivery of Agile course content.
  • Advised clients on tool selection and implementation for Agile practices.
  • Presented at Agile Leadership Series events to enhance leadership skills.
  • Trained internal teams and clients on Product Management in an Agile environment.
  • Conducted training sessions for Agile Requirements and Advanced Agile Requirements.
  • Facilitated Leading SAFe 4.0, SAFe 4.0 For Teams, and various SAFe certifications.

Product Owner / Product Manager

Quest Diagnostics
01.2011 - 01.2013
  • Spearheaded strategy and roadmap implementation for Electronic Health Record (EHR) System.
  • Collaborated with physicians and clinicians to identify challenges and enhance EHR capabilities.
  • Led proof-of-concept initiative integrating patient lab results into mobile applications.
  • Developed roadmap and implementation plan for Meaningful Use requirements.
  • Served as Product Owner for two Agile teams, managing product backlog and items.
  • Established prioritization model ensuring alignment from strategy to execution.
  • Trained teams in automated testing as a former QA professional.
  • Introduced process optimizations, including paired programming, to enhance collaboration and reduce cycle time.

Education

Bachelor of Arts - History & Political Science

Culver-Stockton College
Canton
05-2000

Skills

  • Product Management: Product Strategy Product Development Product Lifecycle Management Product Marketing Product Discovery Revenue Acceleration Market Research Competitive Analysis Customer Personas Product Roadmaps
  • Leadership & Management: Team Leadership Cross-Functional Team Leadership Executive Leadership Change Management Program Management Talent Acquisition Performance Management Conflict Resolution Executive Communication
  • Business & Strategy: Business Transformation Strategic Planning Business Development ROI Optimization Strategic Negotiations Forecasting Data Analytics Problem Solving Strategic Thinking
  • Agile & Methodologies: Agile Methodologies Scrum SAFe Lean Product Agility Business Agility Agile Transformation Agile Coaching OKR Implementation Continuous Improvement
  • Technical & Tools: JIRA JIRA Align Data-Driven Decision Making Process Optimization Digital Transformation Technology Integration

Certification

  • Scrum & Agile: Professional Scrum Master (PSM) | Certified Scrum Master (CSM) | Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS) | Certified SAFe Program Consultant (SPC5) | ICAgile Professional - Agile Coaching Certification (ICC-ACC) | Agile Fluency Facilitator (Licensed) | OpenSpace Agility Certification (OSA1)
  • Product & Business: Workboard Certified OKR Coach | AI for Product Management | AgilityHealth CIC Continuous Improvement Champion | AgilityHealth AHF AgilityHealth Facilitator TeamHealth | AgilityHealth EBAS Enterprise Business Agility Strategist
  • Training & Development: Training from the Back of the Room (TBR Practitioner) | Training from the Back of the Room Virtual Edition (TBR-VE Practitioner) | RTC Dojos Certification | Change Leader Styles Certification

Awards

Polaris Award | Cardinal Solutions | 2016, Leadership Board Member | Agile Cincinnati | 2016 – 2019, AgileCincy Conference Chair | 2017 – 2019, Committee Leadership | AgileCincy Conference | 2016 – 2019, Catering, Team Member, Attendee and Logistics Committee Chair, Volunteer Committee Chair

Affiliations

Leadership Board Member, Agile Cincinnati, 2016 – 2019

AgileCincy Conference Chair, 2017 – 2019

Catering, Team Member, Attendee and Logistics Committee Chair & Volunteer Committee Chair AgileCincy, 2016 – 2019

Polaris Award, Cardinal Solutions, 2016

Timeline

Lead Product Agility Coach

Cox Enterprises
01.2023 - Current

Principal Consultant, Agile Delivery & Product Agility Practice Lead

Eliassen Group
01.2022 - Current

Strategic Product Coach / Digital & Agile Transformation Coach

KraftHeinz Co.
01.2021 - 01.2022

Strategic Product/Dojo Coach

Kroger Technology & Digital
01.2020 - 01.2022

Lean Agile Transformation Program Manager

Chevron
01.2019 - 01.2020

E-commerce Program Coach / Digital Transformation Coach

Lowe's
04.2018 - 10.2025

Managing Director, Product Agility

Cprime, Inc.
01.2018 - 01.2022

Lead Agile Transformation Coach

Cornerstone Home Lending
01.2018 - 01.2019

Lean Agile Transformation Coach

Florida Power & Light
01.2017 - 01.2018

Enterprise Lean Agile Consultant/Digital Transformation Coach

Kroger Technology & Digital
01.2015 - 01.2017

Principal Consultant, Agile Advisory Services

Cardinal Solutions
01.2013 - 01.2017

Product Owner / Product Manager

Quest Diagnostics
01.2011 - 01.2013

Bachelor of Arts - History & Political Science

Culver-Stockton College

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