Her Story
About Donna
Donna Batista is the president of Batista & Associates, a training and consulting firm specializing in learning and development for corporate and private clients. With more than two decades of experience, her work centers on business acumen, executive training, and leadership through quality — disciplines she cultivated during a long corporate career at Xerox, where she rose to regional sales operations manager and was handpicked to deliver the company's leadership-through-quality training to executives across the organization. Guided throughout her career by senior mentors and reinforced by executive leadership training at Smith's School of Business in Boston, she built a reputation as a results-driven professional committed to excellence and ethical practice.
Beyond her corporate roots, Donna carried her business instincts into entrepreneurship, founding and operating a well-regarded art gallery in Michigan for seventeen years. That venture opened the door to a parallel career in arts leadership, earning her a board seat with the Detroit Institute of Arts, where she was later honored with a board member award, as well as leadership positions as vice president of the Cranbrook Art Institute board and president of the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Association. These roles reflect a career defined not only by business success but by sustained community and cultural engagement.
A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in English Literature, Donna has spent recent years stepping back from full-time business to raise her grandson, and she is now re-entering the professional world with renewed focus. She is currently authoring her first book, The First 7 Seconds, centered on how to present oneself effectively in business. Grounded in a strong sense of integrity and personal principle, Donna remains a vocal advocate for women navigating visibility and access challenges in business, encouraging the next generation to lead with clear boundaries, ethical resolve, and an unwavering commitment to doing things well.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Donna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the foundation and principles I stand on, along with a belief in something greater than myself that gives life and light — a belief that has been confirmed through my own experiences. My transferable business skills, built over years in corporate roles, along with the guidance of strong mentors, have also played a significant part in shaping the path I've taken.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received is this: whatever you do, do it well — or don't do it at all. I also carry with me the importance of building bridges, treating people well, and always moving forward with integrity.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women to know who they are. Know your boundaries — what you will and will not do — and hold to them firmly. Play the game ethically, without ever compromising yourself, and learn how to sit at the table and interact effectively without becoming needy or a pushover.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Visibility remains one of the biggest challenges for women in this field, along with access to capital, which still flows primarily through male-dominated channels. Being taken seriously — without being reduced to the "housewife" or "mother" label — continues to be an uphill battle, compounded by pay-to-play visibility models and the ongoing struggle to earn a genuine seat at decision-making tables.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the value I hold above all else — you have to move forward with it, because one wrong move can undo five hundred good ones. Alongside that, I place high importance on treating people well, maintaining a disciplined and professional image, and staying grounded in the personal principles and faith that guide me.
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