Donna Allen

JANUARY 2022 CELEBRATING LEADERS

Counting Her Blessings

Donna Allen and her husband, Keith, had always dreamt of moving to a larger city. Donna lived in Lawton for most of her adult life, where she had built a career doing administrative work for several local defense contractors. Her plan was to wait until her youngest son, Taylor, graduated high school to move, but during his sophomore year of high school, he encouraged his family to make the leap.

“He said, ‘No, Mom, I want to go,’” Donna remembers. “It was either Oklahoma City or Dallas, and we picked Oklahoma City.”

Beginning Again

Donna landed in Oklahoma City in 2010. Keith had recently read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and attended a Robert Kiyosaki seminar, and the couple purchased their first investment property with high hopes of creating financial freedom.

“We got some rental properties in 2013, and that's when a broker suggested I get into real estate. She really talked me up,” Donna reflects.

So, in 2013, Donna officially began her real estate career.

Finding Her Groove

“In 2013, when I started in real estate, I didn’t know many people in the Oklahoma City metro area, so I had to work really hard to build my business,” Donna explains.

Over the past eight years, Donna has steadily built up her real estate business. She’s made a name for herself as a bulldog negotiator and an agent willing to go above and beyond for her clients.

In 2020, Donna founded NewDoor Real Estate. At NewDoor Real Estate, Donna aspires to come from a place of helping others. One of the ways she does this is by offering continuing education classes, both for her agents and agents from other brokerages.

Today, NewDoor Real Estate is a team of 13; Donna hopes to continue to grow the brokerage to 25 agents. She partners with her husband, Keith, who was licensed in 2017, on all transactions. And her youngest son, Taylor, was licensed in 2021.

Counting Her Blessings

Outside work, Donna and Keith enjoy dancing, traveling, and exploring Oklahoma City. Her older son, Christopher (31), lives in Oregon, and she also has two stepsons, Josh (32) and Jason (30).

“Oklahoma City — this is home now,” Donna beams. “Every time I go somewhere, I see someone I know. It's home now.”

Donna was, interestingly enough, born and raised in Germany in a military family. Her family didn’t return home to the U.S. until she was 15. While she feels like an Oklahoma native at heart, her diverse background still influences her outlook on life.

“My dad was in the Army and met my mom overseas. They got married and had me and my brother. I had been back once for a short time in elementary school, but the next time I was 15,” Donna explains. “I landed in Oklahoma and thought, ‘Where's the green grass?’ I was starting over with friends. It was hard. Coming back to the states was a big eye-opener.”

Still, Donna cherishes the experiences she had overseas. She grew up around people from diverse backgrounds, nations, and cultures, which has helped her stay open-minded throughout her life.

“I'm very accepting of anyone, and I think that's helped me with clients, too. I'm not judgmental,” Donna says.

Donna’s time abroad has also helped her feel gratitude for the life she lives today.

“I really love what I do,” she beams.

Fun Fact

“I used to work for a U.S. Customs contract, and I would make the arrangements to transport seized properties to auction sites. I have some really cool stories from that one. We seized a property in Florida that had a panther on it and a giraffe and some other unique exotic animals on it. So, we had to call the zoo to pick them up.”

Written by Zach Cohen, photos by Shawna McDuffie at Peak RES