What is your favorite quote and what does it mean to you?
Donna: My favorite quote is an epigraph from Jonathan Swift's "Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting." Every day, this quote becomes more relevant and timely, even though it was written in the mid 18th century.
|
Name a couple of organizations that you belong to
Donna: American Bar Association | National Council of Investigative and Security Services | Association of Former Intelligence Officers
|
What is your favorite book and why?
Donna: My favorite book is "A Confederacy of Dunces", primarily because my favorite quote was the inspiration for the title. Bonus: The book itself is inspired genius on a dozen levels.
|
Name one event that has singlehandedly influenced you most
Donna: Rescuing a mom and her little girl from human trafficking was a pivotal point in my life. At that moment I realized how much difference - good or bad - one person could make in the life of another.
|
If there was one person, alive or dead, that you could spend a day with, who would it be? Why?
Donna: This is a no-brainer. I would spend the day with the Prophet Mohammed, just so I could ask him, "Is this really what you had in mind"?
|
What is the greatest risk you've taken that resulted in failure?
Donna: The greatest risk that resulted in failure was foster parenting two young children of an abusive, drug addicted, alcoholic mother. The die was cast long before I became involved but, I tried. Oh, how I tried.
|
Who would you name as the most influential person of mankind up-to-date?
Donna: Without a doubt, Johannes Gutenberg.
|
What was your very first job experience and how did it affect you?
Donna: First job was waitress in an Italian diner when I was 14. Disaster. I had never heard of these dishes and, being a Southern girl, couldn't pronounce most of the menu. No idea why they hired me. Oh, wait. Now I remember...
|
If you could give the world one piece of advice, what would it be?
Donna: Don't take jobs in Italian restaurants if the only Italian food you've ever heard of is pizza and spaghetti. Don't pretend to be something you're not. Stuff like that.
|
Name two aspects of your career that you are most passionate about
Donna: Protection of vulnerable individuals and improved licensing laws for Private Investigators and Private Security providers.
|
Do you love what you do? Why?
Donna: I love what I do because I love helping people. I had a case recently that resulted in a person receiving health benefits on their husband's policy, even though she had been denied for over 8 years. Her marriage certificate had been lost in Nicaragua and she could not prove her marriage without it. Using our diplomatic contacts, we were able to assist her in obtaining a certified copy. Happy ending!
|
Despite your success, what do you still find difficult in your career?
Donna: Short answer: being stereotyped. There seems to be an immediate presumption that, because I am a female in the male-dominated Investigations and Protection business, I "must" belong to some particular religious, political or social demographic. I'm probably the opposite of what most people presume.
|
What was the most important decision you have ever made in regards to your career?
Donna: The single most important decision was the decision to accept a position in upper management 10+ years ago. That decision paved the way to a lot of my success and taught me the business side of the Private Investigations and Private Security industry.
|