Oak Park Speaker Series: Cynt Marshall

Cynthia Marshall is chief executive officer of the Dallas Mavericks. In February 2018, Marshall became the first black female CEO in the history of the National Basketball Association. Marshall was also one of her university’s first African-American cheerleaders at the University of California, Berkeley in the late 1970s. Marshall worked for 36 years in a leadership role focused on improving workplace culture and encouraging diversity/inclusion.

Marshall prefers to be called “Cynt” as she acquired the nickname with her high school track team — “Cynt the Sprint.” The fourth of six children, Cynt grew up in Richmond, California, and lives in the Dallas area. She and her husband, Kenneth Marshall, have four adult children.

When Cynt was hired as the CEO of the Mavs in March 2018, she set her sights on a culture transformation. Her vision was for the Mavericks organization to become the NBA standard for inclusion and diversity. Cynt brought transparency, trust and her values-based leadership style that evolved the company culture in her first 100 days.

Widely recognized for her visionary leadership and ability to get things done, Cynt is the recipient of several honors and awards. In 2021, Forbes named Cynt one of 15 of the world’s most inspiring female leaders,“50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise Magazine and named to Ebony Magazine’s 2016 “Power 100”.

In 2022, Random House published Cynt’s memoir You’ve Been Chosen: Thriving Through the Unexpected, which covers her personal and professional life as well as her battle with cancer.