DONNA R. CHILDS is a former senior executive at one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, a position that required her to deal with major and minor disasters on a daily basis. This experience proved critical when she established her own small business in Lower Manhattan. Her company, located on Wall Street, was directly impacted by the events of September 11, 2001, and that experience gave her firsthand knowledge of what small businesses must do to ensure that they are protected from future disasters. She has a BS from Yale University, an MA from Brandeis University, and an MBA from Columbia University, and is a graduate of the Owner President Management Program of the Harvard Business School. In 2007, the National Association of Women Business Owners named Donna Childs its "Woman Business Owner of the Year."