Miriam Myers was born in Lawrence, MA, 1916. She received an A.B. from Smith College in 1937. In 1940, she married Meyer Ritvo. The couple had two sons, Roger and James. After earning an M.S. in education from Boston University in 1952, Ritvo did postgraduate work at Harvard Medical School where she directed two studies: Psychiatric Concepts in Group Dynamics and Psychoanalytic Concepts and Social Psychiatry. She was an assistant professor of behavioral science at Boston University, 1956-1970, and Dean of students and professor of education at Lesley College, 1970-?. A pioneer in the fields of organizational development and women's studies curricula at the college level, Ritvo is the author (with Adelma Mooth) of Developing Supervisory Skills, 1966; Diagnosing the Professional Climate of Schools (with others), 1973; Developing the Supervisory Skills of the Nurse, 1974. She has contributed to many professional journals.