Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall is High Point University’s new Sports Executive in Residence. Marshall hosted a forum for students and faculty on March 20. From the beginning of the forum, Marshall insisted that the flow of conversation would be an “informative and casual” way for students and faculty to learn about “Cynt” Marshall. In her journey towards her current role as CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Marshall recounted how she worked through the ranks at AT&T to become their Senior Executive Diversity Officer.

HPU Junior Lynn Cole said Marshall offered a range of diverse viewpoints.

“She seems qualified for her jobs, and I think she will provide a diverse example of leadership here at HPU,” said Cole.

After 36 years of leadership at AT&T, Marshall received a phone call from Mark Cuban, a business mogul seen on Shark Tank. Marshall received an offer to be the new CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. Marshall’s goal was to make her team as diverse as possible. Marshall recounted how her own experiences with adversity and the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, which had recently taken place after she received the call from Cuban, inspired her to get serious about her plan to transform the Dallas Mavericks.

“It’s easy to make decisions when you know what your values are,” said Marshall when an HPU representative asked how she handled situations in her workplace.

Marshall addressed sexual harassment allegations against a member of the team prior to her becoming CEO. Marshall assured that she is promoting “total transparency” in the workplace and that allegations like these will not be tolerated. Marshall expressed that she tries to get to know the Mavericks team and asked every employee to tell her their life story to truly understand them. Marshall said that these conversations allowed her to respect the people who have a career at the Dallas Mavericks.

Lastly, HPU students asked Marshall questions. Marshall answered with enthusiasm and provided examples, including ticket sales and game day attendance. She had humorous and inspiring anecdotes that made the attendants inspired or their future or current careers.