Meet Our Staff and Instructors

Donna Chase:

I love calling Eastern North Carolina my home! I have lived here my entire life, and have been a REALTOR® since 2011. I currently serve on the Board of REALTORS®, the Membership, Education, and Professional Standards Committees for the Jacksonville Board of REALTORS®. I am also a Real Estate Broker and REALTOR® who actively lists and sells with my team, Chase Realty Group of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage. I have been a Real Estate Instructor since 2016, licensed by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, and teach in Jacksonville. Real Estate is my passion, and helping to educate and inspire others has always been a large part of who I am!

In my free time, my husband and I enjoy riding our bikes, sitting on the beach, and attending a variety of local live music festivals! We have two sons, a daughter, a son-in-law, and a few cats!

Alex Gillen:

Alex Gillen is a full time real estate agent and part time Administrative Support for Sea Coast Real Estate Academy. Alex successfully completed her Prelicense course in May 2019, and passed her NC License exam in June 2019, as well. Alex is an example of SCREA in action! She is happy to answer any and all of your questions about upcoming courses, keep you up to date on social media, and keeps the website up to date as well.

Kristy Hardy:

Kristy Hardy is originally from the Greensboro, NC area where she enjoyed a career as a Corporate Compliance Officer, and High School ESL teacher. She spent many summers at Wrightsville Beach with her family. She started the real estate journey and relocated in 2014, currently residing in Hampstead.

She is passionate about helping others, and want students to know she will be by their side every step of the way. My professional involvement includes; Construction Management Courses at Cape Fear Community College,  Membership in the Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builders Association, Member of the Sales and Marketing Committee of the WCFHBA, and a 2018 Graduate of the Cape Fear Realtors Association Leadership Academy.

Gabriela Huffman:

Gabriela Huffman is a Wilmington, NC native and began her real estate career in 2011. She is a well rounded instructor, teaching Prelicensing, Postlicensing, Continuing Education, and Ethics. Students will choose to take her classes for her direct approach, the learning atmosphere, relevant real estate cases, detailed forms review, and no-broker-left-behind mentality. While in class, you can expect to learn more than just what’s needed to pass the tests, and have fun while doing it. On the other hand, you will be required to pay attention and keep distractions down, as everyone’s time is valuable!