Jim Leslie has departed Cresa as national CEO, according to the Dallas Business Journal. Based in Dallas, he’s headed up the Boston-based firm since 2012. Cresa Dallas managing principal Susan Arledge says, "Jim indicated when he was working with me to join Cresa that he had taken this CEO position to assist with creating a corporate growth strategy and that it was never his intent to make this his long-term career.” Susan says Jim is a gifted strategist and he was an adviser to the Cresa Board for many years before becoming CEO. He took the helm to make changes and now it’s time for a permanent CEO to continue those strategies, she tells us. Jim was traveling 200 days a year and opened five new Cresa Europe and Asia offices last year, Susan says, calling it an “exhausting job.” Cresa’s board of directors now has to find a replacement CEO, but Jim will still lead Cresa Capital Markets and still is a shareholder in the Orange County office, Susan tells us. Jim is managing partner in Wolverine Interests, which is JVing with Encore Office in the development a 150k SF office building in Frisco Square. He's also managing partner of Leslie Enterprises and chairman of the board for Ascendant Solutions. [DBJ]