Rita Leanio

Bay Area-native Rita Leanio began her career in 1996 at the Fuss Leonaro Salon in Santa Rosa. After two years of cutting and coloring at Fuss Leonaro, she moved to San Francisco to enroll in the highly competitive Architects & Heroes color program. Upon completion of the program, Rita became the assistant manager of the color department and soon after was promoted to the director of color services, where she was responsible for the apprentice education program, as well as the color departments in the three Architects & Heroes locations. After Architects & Heroes, Rita went on to be a part of the opening team at the Red Chair Salon, where she worked for three years.

A true believer when it comes to continuing education and staying ahead of the trends, Rita travels throughout the U.S. and abroad to attend advanced education classes yearly, such as the Goldwell Academy in Baltimore, MD. In 2005, she also attended the 50th Anniversary L'Oreal Colour Trophy in London. Rita gets her inspiration by keeping both her mind and her eyes open to what's happening in today's culture and environment.