The APRO Vendor Advisory Committee (VAC) provides an important link between rent-to-own vendors and dealers, and establishes the direction and helps with many of the details of RTO World each year.
Donna DiTrani, Senior Account Executive for High Touch Technologies, is a veteran member of the VAC – having been elected in 2019 and 2021 before being re-elected again this year – bringing her entrepreneurial spirit, a healthy competitive streak, and more than 20 years of RTO experience to the committee.
DiTrani grew up in northern New Jersey in a hardworking, blue-collar family. She began making her own money as soon as possible by babysitting, running a paper route, and mowing lawns. She and her twin sister, Debbie, also got seriously into competitive bowling.
“We went to Wichita State University with bowling scholarships – it was the top bowling school nationwide,” DiTrani says. “We won the national championship one year, and I won an individual championship the next year. Following graduation, I represented the U.S. in the AMF Bowling World Cup and won the individual championship. The next year, I was chosen to bowl in the Youth World Tournament, where I won the individual, my teammate and I won in doubles, and our team won overall champion in all the team, doubles, and singles events.”
DiTrani’s bowling career continued with a turn on the Ladies Professional Bowler’s Tour (now known as the Professional Women’s Bowling Association), then about a decade spent coaching back at Wichita State while continuing to bowl tournaments around the country.
Eventually, DiTrani’s sore feet and arthritis began to catch up with her, and she went to work doing IT for Raytheon, the multinational aircraft and defense manufacturer. As the aircraft industry downturned following 9-11, DiTrani discovered High Touch and accepted a sales position with the company in 2004.
“Around 2008, I moved into account management,” says DiTrani. “I love who I work with, and I really enjoy helping our rent-to-own clients with our products and services, having discussions with businessowners, spending time with them, and just making their lives easier.”
DiTrani is proud to have received her company’s annual MVP Award in 2019, the same year she joined the VAC. She loves being a voice for the service side of the industry, and hopes to help state associations by improving their member participation.
DiTrani and her wife, Dr. Kerry Wilks, moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, earlier this year, and outdoorsy DiTrani has been soaking up the green-and-gold beauty of America’s Dairyland.
Throughout it all, she says her favorite thing about RTO remains the people. “It’s all about the relationships,” she concludes. “Nurturing and developing connections with people through honest communication builds trust and leads to continued growth for all involved.”
