DLA / Graduation Day

Please join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of the Leadership Southwest Class of 2025 and honor the recipient of the 2025 Curtistene S. McCowan Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award, Jason Ruiz, Class of 2019. This special luncheon will recognize the graduates’ commitment to leadership, service, and community impact, and celebrate the outstanding contributions of our award honoree.



LSW is honored to have Ms. Maranda Auzenne, Class of 2011 and the 2015 DLA Recipient deliver the keynote address. She is President, Transitions Interim PM Solutions & a Cedar Hill City Councilwoman. She is a visionary executive, civic leader, and champion for diversity in commercial real estate, with over two decades of strategic leadership experience.   As the President and “Chief Obstacle Remover”  at Transitions Interim PM Solutions, Maranda’s expertise encompasses property and asset optimization, acquisitions, transition management, dispositions, and organizational development. A trailblazer in her field, she has held senior corporate roles at leading firms, including Senior Vice President of Property and Asset Management at Trademark Property LLC, where she oversaw a national portfolio of large mixed-use assets worth almost $2 billion, including prominent properties such as Galleria Dallas.  Since launching her consulting firm in 2024, Maranda continues to work on some of DFWs most iconic projects.

Beyond the corporate sphere, she serves as a Cedar Hill City Councilwoman, advocating for economic development, small business growth, and transparent, inclusive governance. Maranda’s commitment to service is reflected in her involvement with a range of boards and organizations, including Bridges Safehouse, Leadership Southwest, ICSC, and STAR Transit. Notably, she was the first African American woman to chair the Best Southwest Partnership in its 50-year history and has served as a Planning & Zoning Commissioner.
A recognized thought leader and advocate, Maranda regularly speaks on the themes of women in leadership, diversity in commercial real estate, overcoming obstacles, servant leadership, and career pivots. Her accolades include the 2024 Globe St. Women of Influence Humanitarian Award, 2023 Dallas Business Journal’s Influential Women in Business, 2022 Connect Media’s Women in Real Estate Award, 2021 Retail Influencer in Commercial Real Estate Award, Cedar Hill Woman of the Year, DBJ Minority Leadership Award, Concord Church Debra Award, and Leadership Southwest Distinguished Leadership  Award, among others.  Her passion, expertise, and unwavering commitment to elevating women and communities make her a distinguished voice for any leadership topic.