Rita Singer holds a B.A. in anthropology from Temple University and an M.A. in archaeology from the University of Toronto, where she gained field experience in Iran and Israel and completed an internship in the Prehistory Lab at Hebrew University. Extensive travel in remote non-Western regions during this period sparked a lasting interest in handmade traditional textiles.

Following turmoil in the Middle East, Singer pursued a career in banking and law, earning a law degree from St. John’s University at night and an advanced professional certificate in estate and gift tax law from New York University Law School. She went on to build a career in banking, wealth management, and estate planning.

A longtime New Yorker, Rita is now returning to her earlier academic interests as a graduate student at FIT in its Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program, where she is deepening her understanding of textile structure, history, and context — and is thrilled to be pursuing research and a career in the field of traditional textiles.