Rita Watkins

Inspirer
DISC Type : id

Senior Director Commercial Training and Development at Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Overview

Rita Watkins is a Senior Director of Commercial Training with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical sector, specializing in rare and ultra-rare diseases. She has held leadership roles at Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Scholar Rock, and Amgen, developing training for complex fields like neuroimmunology and genetics. Rita holds a Bachelor of Arts from Augusta State University.

Beyond her corporate roles, Rita is an active Angel Investor in the biopharmaceutical space, demonstrating a personal passion for supporting therapeutic innovation. She follows developments at major industry players like Pfizer and Oracle, indicating a keen interest in the intersection of healthcare and technology.

Unique fact: Rita is an Angel Investor in InGel Therapeutics, Inc. , a company developing treatments for the unmet needs of patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Personality Overview

Generous

Decisive

Fast Adopter

They measure a product on its merit but can be influenced by strong testimonials.  They don’t mind taking a stand if they believe in something. They respond well to objective pitches but also attach some value to relationships.

Topics They Care About

Rare Disease Training
Her career is focused on leading commercial training and development for rare and ultra-rare disease therapies at companies like Xeris, Scholar Rock, and Amgen.
Commercial Team Development
She has a history of building and managing training departments to prepare commercial teams for product launches in specialized therapeutic areas like neuroimmunology and genetics.
Angel Investing
She actively supports biotech innovation as an angel investor for companies like InGel Therapeutics, which is focused on developing new therapies.

Media Appearances

Rita has no verified media appearances

Work History

12-2025
Senior Director Commercial Training and Development at Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
11-2024 - 12-2025
Senior Director, Commercial Training at Scholar Rock
3-2024 - 11-2024
Director, Commercial Training at Marinus Pharma
10-2023 - 2-2024
Director, Sales Training (Rare Disease) USHD at Amgen
9-2022
Angel Investor at InGel Therapeutics, Inc.

Education

2009 - 2012
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Augusta State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 18 Location : Chicago, Illinois, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : Senior Director Commercial Training and Development at Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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Insights For Selling To Rita

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Acknowledge their status and position during the conversation
  • Focus on the big picture and the strategic value of your product
  • Keep your pitch focused on the impact but insert some anecdotes into it

DONT's

  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly
  • Don’t keep repeating the same information, it could make them impatient
  • Don't be unorganized, be prepared for the pitch

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Rita is

  • Confidence in the product’s value is critical, followed by relationship and a sense of achievement.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Rita

  • They will not hesitate to say no if they do not develop conviction.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Rita move?

  • If they develop confidence in your product and you, then they can make fast decisions.
  • Can Rita take some risk or not?

  • If necessary, they have the ability to take risky decisions.

You And Rita

Personality Compatibility


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