The 2025 ABoR Industry Awards honored the people behind the profession — leaders, mentors and changemakers whose influence extends far beyond the market.
There’s a particular kind of energy in a room full of people who’ve spent the year working hard and finally get to celebrate it. That was the scene on May 1, when the Austin Board of REALTORS® pulled back the curtain on the winners of the 2025 ABoR Industry Awards at the Midnight Cowboy Gala — a night of recognition, well-earned bragging rights and more than a little dancing under the midnight sky.
It hasn’t been an easy stretch for anyone in this business. Between shifting interest rates, cautious buyers and an inventory picture that kept everyone guessing, 2024 into 2025 asked a lot of Central Texas real estate professionals. The 41 finalists who made it to gala night didn’t just survive that; they stood out in it. And from that group, a handful walked away with the evening’s top honors.
Leading the night was Kent Redding of Berkshire Hathaway Texas Realty, named REALTOR® of the Year. It’s the highest individual honor ABoR gives, and it goes to someone whose career reflects not just sales numbers but a genuine commitment to the profession and the community around it. Redding has long been that kind of figure in Austin real estate.
The Salesperson of the Year award went to Amber Hart of Keller Williams Realty, whose production and client care set the pace this year. And in a market this competitive, breaking through as a newcomer is no small feat — which makes Christina Sok’s Rookie of the Year win all the more impressive. Sok, of the Spinelli Residential Group at Keller Williams Realty Austin Portfolio Real Estate, made a debut worth watching.
Few names came up more often during the evening than Carol Dochen of the Dochen Realty Group at Bramlett Partners, who took home the Iconic Changemaker award. It’s a fitting nod to someone whose influence has quietly shaped the way business gets done in this town.
Leadership got its due as well. Amber Brown of White Label Realty earned Broker of the Year in the 1-50 Agents category, while Christine Choate of Horizon Realty claimed the honor for brokerages with 51 or more agents. Behind every thriving agent is usually a broker who built the culture that made it possible, and both of these winners have done exactly that. On the management side, Amanda Dudley of Compass was named Manager of the Year — recognition for the kind of steady, behind-the-scenes leadership that rarely gets a spotlight but always gets noticed by the people who depend on it.
Real estate is a team effort more often than not, and this year’s Team Awards proved it. The Mueller Residential Group of Compass won in the 2-5 Agents category, and their colleagues at the ROOTS Residential Group, also Compass, took the 6-10 Agents honor. In the largest bracket, 11-plus agents, the Emily Dieckmann Real Estate Team of eXp Realty came out on top.
Some of the night’s most meaningful awards weren’t about transactions at all. The Ethics Award went to Jill Leberknight of eXp Realty, a reminder that how you do business matters as much as how much you do. Cord Shiflet of Moreland Properties received the Community Service Award for the work he does well beyond the closing table. And Charles Porter, PhD, of Bryker Properties was named Educator of the Year, honoring the time and energy he pours into making everyone around him sharper at their craft.
The night also recognized the partners who make the whole thing run. Kara McGregor of Independence Title was named Affiliate of the Year — a tip of the hat to the title professionals, lenders and vendors who keep deals moving and clients reassured through every twist of a transaction.
What stood out most, though, wasn’t any single award. It was the room itself: agents who’d competed against each other all year, now clapping for one another; brokers and affiliates trading stories about a market that tested them all. The ABoR Industry Awards have a way of doing that — reminding everyone that for all the competition, this is a community first.
Nights like this also point forward. Many of the names called on stage will be the ones mentoring next year’s rookies, training the next class of agents and steering their firms through whatever the market brings next. Recognition is a thank-you for the year behind, but it’s also a quiet challenge to keep raising the bar.
RealtyLine congratulates all of the 2025 winners and finalists. After a year that demanded grit, patience and no small amount of creativity, they’ve earned the celebration.
For the full list of winners and finalists, visit unlockmls.com/awards.
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