2023 Delta Gamma Lectureship in Values and Ethics

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

6:00 PM - 6:40 Keynote | 6:40 PM - 7:00 PM Moderated Q&A | 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Reception
Hughes-Trigg Student Center - Oren Family Auditorium | Southern Methodist University 

On October 18, 2023, he Alpha Upsilon chapter of Delta Gamma and the Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility welcomed Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, President & CEO of Marshalling Resources Consulting, retired AT&T Executive and author, to SMU as the 2023 Delta Gamma Lecturer in Values and Ethics.

Prior to her joining the Mavs, Cynt founded Marshalling Resources, a consulting firm specializing in Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion, Culture Transformation and overall optimization of people resources. Upon the company naming its first Chief Inclusion Officer in June 2017, Cynt worked with The Dow Chemical Company to develop and implement a strategy for institutionalizing an inclusive culture. Dow was named to DiversityInc’s Top 50 list in 2018 and every year since, claiming the number 7 spot in 2023. The company is also now recognized on Fortune’s Great Place to Work lists.

Cynt’s notoriety began many years ago as a young Officer at AT&T and grew exponentially when she served as Senior Vice President – Human Resources & Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T.  There she was responsible for identifying and developing leaders, aligning employees with the company’s vision and priorities, overseeing major business unit HR support, developing and executing the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and skills transformation initiatives. Cynt led the team that created a world class Diversity and Inclusion culture, landing AT&T in the top 3 on Diversity Inc’s 2017 Top 50 list of companies.  She also spearheaded the work that for the first time placed AT&T on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2017, one of only two Fortune 50 companies.

Before her SVP-Human Resources and Chief Diversity Office roles, Cynt served as President-AT&T North Carolina where she became the first African-American chair of the North Carolina State Chamber of Commerce. Prior to her North Carolina appointment, Cynt held a variety of executive line and staff, technical and non-technical positions at AT&T and its predecessor companies.

Widely recognized for her visionary leadership and ability to get things done Cynt is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the 2022 Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Upstander award. In 2021, Forbes named Cynt one of 15 of the world’s most inspiring female leaders, Dallas WISE (Women In Sports and Events) honored her with the inaugural Women of Inspiration award, The Women’s Forum of New York bestowed the Elly award, and Texas Women’s University recognized Cynt with the Virginia Chandler Dyke Leadership award. Cynt received the 2020 Girl Scouts of America Lifetime Achievement award and was touted as one of Adweek’s 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports. In 2019, Cynt was honored with the Women of Power Legacy Award by Black Enterprise and was the recipient of the National ATHENA® Leadership Program Award. This annual award is presented by chambers of commerce, women’s organizations and universities worldwide. In 2017, Cynt was honored by The Network Journal as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business and was honored with the ATHENA® Leadership Program Award by the Dallas Regional Chamber, which recognizes exceptional women who excel in their careers, contribute to their communities and develop women leaders. In March 2020 and several times prior, Cynt was selected as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine and named to Ebony magazine’s 2016 “Power 100” list.  In 2014, industry analysts and members of the press conferred on Cynt the HR Executive of the Year - Best in Biz Award. For her efforts on behalf of the people of North Carolina, in 2013 Cynt received the prestigious Leadership North Carolina Governor’s Award, which honors just one citizen each year for lifetime achievements.

Cynt graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with degrees in Business Administration and Human Resources Management and holds four honorary Doctorate degrees. She also earned a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Cynt has chaired a variety of non-profit boards and currently serves on the board of Dallas CASA (chair), Dallas Regional Chamber, Texas Women’s Foundation, Texas 2036, T.D. Jakes Foundation, Executive Leadership Council (ELC), and is a member of the University of California at Berkeley Board of Visitors and the International Women’s Forum. She is also on the corporate Board of Directors of BGSF Staffing, JELD-WEN, Chime Financial, Inc. and Yahoo. Cynt is the co-founder of the National Utilities Diversity Council (NUDC), the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and Pro Sports Assembly.

Cynt’s first book, You’ve Been Chosen, was released in September 2022 and was nominated for an NAACP Image award. She grew up in Richmond, California and lives in Dallas, Texas. Cynt and her husband, Kenneth Marshall, have four adult children.

 

More About Cynt Marshall:

 

About the Delta Gamma Lectureship in Values and Ethics 

In 1992, Lectureships in Values and Ethics, a Delta Gamma program sponsored by the Delta Gamma Foundation, was established by Dr. Paul Martin honoring his wife Dorothy Garrett Martin (Dotty), Eta-Akron in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. The initial home of the lectureship was Paul and Dotty’s alma mater and the site of Delta Gamma’s oldest active collegiate chapter, the University of Akron. Though Dorothy has passed on, the lectureships immortalize her selfless spirit and love for Delta Gamma. Today 14 campuses have established Lectureships in Values and Ethics, with 4 more in progress, and 2 others in the planning stages.  

These lectureships are always free of charge to collegians, university volunteers and employees, as well as invited individuals in surrounding areas. The Delta Gamma Foundation has great pride in this unique program, which is a prime example of its mission to "provide resources for educational growth and philanthropic service for all members.”

To read more about the history of the lectureship, click here [PDF]