BS Marketing '81
Donna Abood continues to shatter the glass ceiling as one of the most trusted and recognized names in South Florida real estate. Throughout her 40-year career, Donna’s main goal has been to protect the interests of her clients, whether as their tenant or landlord representative. Her innate ability to pinpoint her client’s issues starkly sets her apart from others in the South Florida market as she can harmonize the owner’s and tenant’s goals. She not only negotiates office transactions on behalf of her clients but also serves as a valuable business resource with her extensive market knowledge and relationships developed throughout her successful career.
Inspired by her father, developer Richard Abood, her entrepreneurial spirit led her to hold various C-Suite level positions at commercial real estate companies across South Florida. In these roles, she primarily mentored upcoming real estate professionals, including graduates of the College of Business, while marketing office buildings and tenant representation services. In 1989, she opened the doors to Abood & Associates as the acting principal and sole owner before merging in 2002 with Michael Fay of Wood-Fay Realty Group and becoming Abood Wood-Fay Real Estate Group LLC. In 2014, the firm was acquired by Avison Young where Donna served as Principal and Managing Director of the Miami office, the first woman Managing Director of an Avison Young office.
In this role, Donna oversaw client servicing, business development, and recruitment, as well as the tenant and landlord representation services of the leasing division across Miami-Dade County. Throughout her career, she has leased over 80 million square feet of office buildings on behalf of local and institutional ownerships, including completing hundreds of transactions on behalf of tenants she has represented.
In June 2024, Donna joined Savills, the most dominant corporate tenant representation firm in the industry, as Vice Chairman and Co-Head of the Florida Region. In this role, she is responsible for branding, developing market strategy, recruitment and revenues as Savills expands throughout the Florida market.
Donna served as the 2014-2015 Chair of the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, Miami’s Economic Development Partnership. She serves on the Avison Young Nominating Committee for the global Board of Directors as well as the Board of Directors and Executive Committees for numerous civic and non-profit organizations. Recently, Donna proudly accepted the responsibility of Chair of the Board of Governors for Florida State University’s College of Business, her alma mater, where she holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management (B.S. ‘81). She is a longtime university supporter and a 2013 inductee into the College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame.
A few of Donna’s professional accomplishments include being honored as one of the 2023 Bisnow South Florida Women Leading Real Estate; named one of the 2023-2019 South Florida Business Journal’s 250 Power Leaders; honored with the 2019 Miami Today’s Silver Medal Award, inducted into the 2018 Real Estate Forum’s National Women of Influence Hall of Fame; named one of the Real Estate Forum’s Women of Influence in 2018, 2016, 2013 & 2009; named one of the 2016 Miami Today Book of Leaders; honored with the 2016 Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year Award; honored as a “Florida Business Ambassador” by Governor Rick Scott in 2015; honored as the 2015 United HomeCare Claude Pepper Corporate Service Award; named the 2014 – 2015 Chair of the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, Miami’s Economic Development Partnership; recipient of the Tom Richards on award; the highest honor given by Colliers International; honored as an “Ultimate CEO” by South Florida Business Journal; honored with the AXA Advisors Businesswoman of the Year Award in the Corporate Leader category and inducted into the 2013 Florida State University College of Business Hall of Fame.
