The Community of Vilnius University Mourns the Loss of Pro-Rector Rita Rekašiūtė Balsienė

The community of Vilnius University (VU) mourns the loss of Associate Professor Dr Rita Rekašiūtė Balsienė (1969-2022), the pro-rector for organizational development and community affairs. All those who wanted to say goodbye to the vice-rector could do so at St. John's Church, and she was laid to rest in the Liepynė cemetery.

"Our vice-rector Rita Rekašiūtė Balsienė passed away this night. Rita was an example of professionalism and dedication to duty. She gave a new impetus to our community. She was brave to shake up the established rules and initiate changes. A new employee survey has just started, in which purpose she believed in and which data she carefully evaluated. Rita had an extensive understanding of the whole but found time to think about each one individually. She worked until the end. She didn't want to rest and was still debating in a strong voice a few days ago. As always, we talked too much about business and not enough about ourselves. Rest in peace, Rita..." – VU rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas expresses his condolences.

Prof. Vilmantė Pakalniškienė: "Rita always believed that we, as a community, create the University and are capable of having it the way we want it. She always saw the meaning of working for people and caring for them because she wanted those around her to feel good and a little happier. She loved being with and around people. She took care of everyone, often forgetting herself."

On March 31st, 2006, she defended her dissertation in the field of psychology in the social sciences called "Possibilities for purposeful change in organizational climate" and was awarded a doctorate at Vilnius University. R. Rekašiūtė Balsienė, after obtaining her PhD in social sciences, worked as an associate professor at VU. She also completed (2007) the year-long organization development certification program of the "NTL Institute" (USA), where she studied the basics of organizational development, diagnostics in the organization and its effects, planning and implementation of interventions, and group work process consulting. In 2011, she obtained the internationally recognized management consultant certificate (The Certified Management Consultant (CMC)).

Also, in 2011 studied team coaching methodology with one of the world's most famous individual and team coaching and mentoring specialists, Prof. David Clutterbuck (UK). Since 2012, she has studied at the Institute of Individual Psychology in the counselling program. After defending her doctorate, she was a lecturer at VU's Department of Clinical and Organizational Psychology.

During her career, R. Rekašiūtė Balsienė was an independent management consultant, working in the field of organizational consulting and training since 1995. During her working practice, she managed and implemented various consulting projects for organizations, where she solved strategic planning issues, improved the structure and operational processes, change management, communication and personnel management. Advised managers of organizations in implementing changes or conducting evaluations of the organization and employees using various methodologies: evaluation centre, 360° feedback and assessment of leadership competencies.

VU associate professor had many years of experience in training managers and specialists. Starting with customer service seminars for specialists, she conducted leadership, team building, motivating subordinates and personnel management seminars for managers and personal efficiency seminars for employees of various levels.

She has worked on the board of the Association of Lithuanian Business Consultants business consulting company "OVC Consulting". She was an advisor to the Minister of Finance Vilius Šapokas on strategic planning issues, organizational changes, and their management.

Areas of expertise: leadership, strategic management, change management, organizational psychology, leadership in education, etc.