From natural disasters to IT system failures: Business owners face challenges that can negatively impact the well-being of their employees or business operations. Regardless of size or industry, founders who proactively address Continuity Planning and Emergency Management are better positioned to safeguard their businesses and recover more quickly.  

The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center is excited to be joined by BMO and The Resiliency Initiative for a session on fostering risk awareness and adaptability. Andrea Davis, Founder and CEO at The Resiliency Initiative, will help business owners turn a critical eye to their physical and operating environments and discuss strategies that help them bounce back from worst-case scenarios.  

OUR SPECIAL GUESTS

Andrea Davis 

Founder and CEO of The Resiliency Initiative 

I started humbly: college as a single teen mother, waitressing graveyard shifts to make ends meet.  Those challenges drove me to champion community and personal resiliency and to help others overcome challenges and thrive. 

  As the Founder, President and CEO of The Resiliency Initiative, a certified Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), I empower small businesses and communities to become self-reliant through crisis and risk mitigation planning. I have nearly 25 years of experience in emergency management, business continuity, and public health, working for public, private, and non-profit sectors across various industries and geographies. 

  I have held leadership roles with NGOs (The American Red Cross, Save the Children US), the US Federal Government (FEMA, The Federal Reserve) and for Fortune 500 Companies (Walmart, Disney).  With each role, I used my influence to lead global initiatives focused on the importance of making risk informed determinations and engaging all members of the community in the decision-making process. I founded TRI out of a passion to serve the whole community before, during, and after an emergency.  Through TRI, I have had the opportunity to support the planning for the 2022 United Nations Disaster Risk Conference in Bali, Indonesia and serve a small business delegate to the 2023 United Nations Conference on the least development countries in Doha, Qatar.   

Denisse Pachuca

Sr. Regional Manager, Zero Barriers to Business

I have been in the financial industry for over 18 years. I joined BMO Bank in 2013 and have held several positions: branch manager, business banker and my most current position Senior Manager, Industry Verticals. As a business banker I worked with businesses throughout the Wisconsin footprint with annual revenues of up to 10 million and managed their banking relationships and lending needs. During this time BMO launched our Empower program whose mission is to provide support to our customers through a more inclusive suite of banking products, services and resources, meeting their unique needs and addressing their diverse expectations.

In December 2022, I joined our Zero Barriers to Business Program as the Wisconsin presence. I know also cover North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska in addition to WI. Our small business special credit purpose program aids in breaking barriers by providing minority business owners with access to working capital, educational resources, and professional partnerships to accelerate growth. As a Latina, I am passionate about this work as it allows me the opportunity to share my expertise and knowledge with our local minority communities and promote a more sustainable and inclusive economy. I am often viewed as a trusted advisor to the customers and organizations I have had the pleasure to work with.

The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center is a 501c(3) public charity whose mission it is to make entrepreneurship accessible to all. We deliver world-class resources and mentoring to enable every entrepreneur across the globe to realize their maximum potential. Please join us and make your gift to ensure these transformative programs may continue to reach the underserved.

All Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least 48 hours in advance of this event; please send an email to [email protected] with the subject header ACCOMMODATION REQUEST. For assistance with registration or other technical difficulties, please contact [email protected]