ORLANDO, Fla. – Three Realtors® from Florida are among 20 selected to participate in the National Association of Realtors® 2025 Leadership Academy Class, a 10-month program that prepares state and local volunteers for NAR leadership positions.
Omar Capellan
Omar Capellan, Tiea Vincent and Kara Wisely will participate in a diverse range of educational experiences as they join a nationwide community of volunteer leaders. They will learn the history, structure and inner workings of NAR while gaining key insights designed to prepare them to serve in prominent leadership positions at all levels of the association, NAR said.
Omar Capellan, Semper Realty, Cape Canaveral – Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Capellan moved to the United States in 1994 and became a mechanical engineer turned real estate advisor, broker owner and multifamily investor. Capellan has been in the industry since 2005. Capellan has long focused on his volunteer work, currently as the 2024 chairman of the Florida Realtors® Leadership Academy. He also serves on the local level as the 2024 treasurer for the Space Coast Association of Realtors® as well as a Florida Realtors director. He graduated from the Florida Realtors Leadership Academy in 2019.
Capellan is a pilot for the Civil Air Patrol, the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Wing, and is the squadron commander leading 47 other volunteers. In his spare time, he trains as a triathlete and is scheduled to complete a full Ironman (140.6-mile swim-bike-run).
Tiea Vincent
Tiea Vincent, NXT Level Real Estate, Jacksonville – Vincent got her start in property management first as a leasing agent and assistant manager in multifamily communities in 2003. In her early years she moved often to follow her military husband and has been in property management and licensed in three states. She launched NXT Level Real Estate in 2022 and is proud to be among the less than 12% of female broker owners under age 40 in the state.
Vincent has served at the local, state and national level. She is a 2020 graduate of the Florida Realtors Leadership Academy and the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors® (NEFAR) Leadership Academy. In 2025, she will serve as secretary for NEFAR. In conjunction with her volunteer work, Vincent is a licensed instructor for Florida Realtors.
Kara Wisely
Kara Wisely, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services – Florida Realty, Mount Dora – Born and raised in the Main Line area of Philadelphia, Wisely’s education began at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia before obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Pastry Arts at Walnut Hill College. After working in the restaurant industry, she went back to school to earn a degree in Hospitality Management.
Wisely was the 2017 Rookie of the Year for the Realtors® Association of Lake and Sumter Counties (RALSC) and RALSC 2020 Realtor of the Year. She was the 2018 RALSC Young Professionals Network Chair and serves on the RALSC diversity and inclusion committee and NAR’s YPN advisory board. In 2023, she was awarded Article of the Year from Florida Realtors. She is also an active member of the Eustis Chamber of Commerce. She graduated from the Florida Realtors Leadership Academy in 2022 and was in the first class to become a Board Certified Realtor in 2023.
“The Leadership Academy develops and prepares upcoming leaders to help shape the real estate landscape at the local, state and national levels,” said 2024 NAR President Kevin Sears, broker-partner of Sears Real Estate/Lamacchia Realty in Springfield, Mass. “The diverse backgrounds and qualifications of this class are evidence of NAR’s commitment to inclusive growth, representation and professional development.”
The 2025 NAR Leadership Academy roster is as follows:
James Britto, California
Nakia Brooks, Georgia
Donna Cade, Georgia
Omar Capellan, Florida
William Curtis, Texas
Esteban Flores, Texas
Jennifer Flynn, New York
Danielle Fontes, California
Jennifer Higgins, California
Jessica Kish, Indiana
Betsy Laughlin, Colorado
Caron Ling, Hawaii
Tyson Lynch, Massachusetts
Heather Mull, Virginia
Lee Porter, Minnesota
Jennifer Swendiman, Kentucky
Jenni Viger, Georgia
Tiea Vincent, Florida
Kara Wisely, Florida
Soo Yu, New Jersey
The program will begin in January 2025 and culminate in November 2025 at NAR NXT, The Realtor Experience in Houston, Texas.
For more information about NAR’s Leadership Academy, including individual session summaries and resources for prospective 2026 applicants, visit nar.realtor/leadershipacademy. The application period for the 2026 class runs from November 4, 2024, through February 13, 2025.
© 2024 Florida Realtors®
