Hawai‘i REALTORS® Names Donna Apisa of Kaua‘i as the 2025 REALTOR® of the Year
Since 1967, This Award Has Recognized a Hawai‘i Realtor for Their Work in the Interest of Their Fellow REALTORS®, the Profession, and the Community
(photo courtesy Hawai‘i REALTORS®):
2025 Hawai‘i REALTOR® of the Year Donna Apisa has 46 years of experience in the real estate industry.
Hawai‘i REALTORS®, a leading statewide professional trade organization for the real estate industry, named Donna Apisa the 2025 Hawaiʻi REALTOR® of the Year on Sept. 3, 2025, on Kaua‘i. This award recognizes an outstanding REALTOR® member who has done exceptional work to advance their association and the real estate industry.
“Donna is an exemplary leader who shows an unwavering commitment to ethical excellence and giving back to her Kaua‘i community,” said Lance Owens, president of Hawai‘i REALTORS®.
Apisa said she was “humbled, surprised, and honored” to receive the award.
Donna with Kaua‘i Board of REALTORS® Association Executive Nani Sadora and Hawai‘i REALTORS® President Lance Owens
“I give thanks to my parents who raised me on a small farm in Michigan and gave me my foundation, and to all of the wonderful people within Aloha Sotheby’s International Realty and Aloha Hawai‘i Rentals,” she said. “We’re all one big ‘ohana.”
Apisa, who has 46 years of experience in the real estate industry, is president and CEO of Aloha Sotheby’s International Realty and of Aloha Hawai‘i Rentals. She began her real estate career in 1979 and earned her broker’s license in 1981. In 1985, she founded Oceanfront Realty International, Inc., which was recently rebranded as Aloha Sotheby’s International Realty after expanding offices on both Kaua‘i and the Big Island.
(photo courtesy Hawai‘i REALTORS®): Donna and her son Jon Apisa
Apisa is a past president of the Kaua‘i Board of REALTORS®, where she has also served as chair of the Professional Standards & Ethics and County Issues committees and has served as a Kaua‘i County Planning Commissioner. She has donated her time and resources to many charitable initiatives, including as president of the YWCA of Kaua‘i, the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, and the Princeville Community Association. She and her companies donate time and money to Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity. In addition, she has provided direct aid to families in crisis and offered housing assistance to those who have nowhere else to turn.
Apisa’s professional designations include Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), and Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI).
