Amy Ritchie '87

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."

 

For Amy Ritchie’ 87, that Pablo Picasso quote sums up how we’re supposed to live. "It’s the core of how I operate," she says. So, what is Ritchie’s gift? She has a way of building relationships.

 

That ability to connect empowers her as a consultant and strategist.

Ritchie operates Archpoint Consulting in the field of OGSM (objectives, goals, strategies and measures). She helps companies in organizational development, coaching, go-to-market strategies and more.

 

"The beauty of consulting is its variety," she says. "When you become a trusted advisor, clients tend to come back to you with all sorts of problems they need help solving." Ritchie’s clients work in vastly different industries, including B2B consumer goods and agriculture. The diversity is part of the fun, and it’s proved to Ritchie that her corporate framework can be used in any industry — whether it’s farming or for a tech startup like Drive My Way.

 

As a strategist and a Trustee, Ritchie is helping Gilmour implement its strategic plan. Having conducted dozens of interviews over several months, the next step is to devise a discipline to ensure Gilmour achieves its goal. "An effective strategist is someone who can define the vision and be really clear on where an organization needs to go in three to five years," Ritchie says. "Strategic planning is about choices. It’s ‘what are the right strategies that are in place?’ ‘What’s going on in the market?’ ‘What’s happening with the competition?’ All of that plays into a strategic plan."

 

It’s not easy for an institution to implement a strategic plan. Staffers must work on their day jobs while looking toward the future, and distractions abound. But Ritchie, committed to the cause, leads through her expertise. Buoyed by a deep desire to serve others, she’s active in St. Dominic’s Catholic Church and went to El Salvador with them last fall — an experience she calls "life-changing." She’s also volunteered with Graffiti Heart, a scholarship program for underserved youth. "My parents always said, ‘To those whom much is given, much is expected,’" she says. "Service is about finding the right opportunities that fit your values. Gilmour’s another avenue that really does that for me."

 

Amy Ritchie, with some of her "Gilmour Girls" at a recent gathering (L to R): Amy Ritchie '87, Dana Randazzo Snelling '87, Lesley Scaravelli Task ‘88, Colleen Kiely '96, Jenny Oliver ‘88 and Mary Jo McHenry O'Neill '87