Leon Dickson Sr., owner and principal broker of BenchMark at Southwind Realtors, is joining MLGW's Board of Commissioners as its newest member on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Mayor Jim Strickland appointed Dickson to replace Darrell Cobbins who has been on the five-member governing board since 2008.

The Tennessee Association of Realtors recently selected Dickson as the group’s first African-American president-elect for 2017. A Realtor for 27 years, he previously held the post of state secretary/treasurer for the group. He also is a past president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors and was named its Realtor of the Year in 2012.

The native Memphian volunteers at HopeWorks and Germanshire Elementary.