A Conversation with Rita Chaires

Director of Web and SEO Services, Rita Chaires, joined the Academy more than five years ago when the company launched their first SEO program. Since then, Web design, SEO, and search marketing have changed tremendously and Rita has skillfully adapted the program to meet those new technological changes along with impressing Members on a daily basis.

1. Which living person do you most admire and why?  Malala Yousafzai, a political activist for education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. At just 19 years old, she’s become a global advocate for millions of children denied a formal education because of social, economic, legal and political factors.
2. What is your favorite journey?  The Cape May Ferry ride to Delaware, where we vacation most summers. It’s both a physical and mental journey. As the boat heads further away, I begin to decompress, worrying less about the usual day-to-day stuff and focusing more on relaxing and rebooting.
3. What is your greatest regret?  Not having more fun when I was younger. I’ve always been a pretty studious, serious person. I wish I’d realized earlier that having fun isn’t necessarily frivolous.
4. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?  I’d be more spontaneous. And about 3 inches taller.
5. What do you consider your greatest achievement?  This probably isn’t the most politically correct thing for a woman to say in 2015, but I think of my kids as my greatest achievement. They’re both really smart, funny, generous people who I genuinely like spending time with. Lucky for me, they feel the same way much of the time.
6. What is your motto?  Once is a mistake, twice is a problem.
7. For what in your life do you feel most grateful for?  My family. (Do you sense a theme?  J)  I know it sounds cliché, but when I think of all of the things in my life that bring me joy – career, friends, hobbies, etc. – it all comes back to family. All of those other things have been enriched because of the things I’ve learned from being a wife, mom, daughter, and sister.
8. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?  I’d love to wake up able to teleport – think of all of the things you could pack into your day and the places you could visit!
9. What would be your last meal?  A Chosi burger. My husband took my mother’s not-so-secret recipe for an incredible burger and put his own secret spin on it. The result is the best, most flavorful burger you’ll ever experience. The best part?  Since the recipe is secret, I’m neither allowed nor expected to assist with the cooking.
10. If you could bring one musician back from the dead, who would it be and why?  John Lennon. A gifted songwriter, musical innovator, and social activist, he had such an impact on music and history. He was only 40 years old when he was gunned down, I can only imagine what was left unsung.

Rita Chaires
Director, Web & SEO Services
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com