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[Story courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and reporter Melissa Repko. To view the entire story and photos from the event, click here.]

Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall was the keynote speaker Thursday at the Dallas Regional Chamber’s annual meeting at the Hilton Anatole. She was interviewed by Women of Power chief brand officer Caroline Clarke, and the annual meeting drew a record attendance.

Outgoing chamber chair and Toyota North America’s chief quality officer Chris Nielsen highlighted the Dallas area business community’s achievements in 2019. Seventeen companies announced an expansion or relocation to the region in 2019, including financial services company Charles Schwab, which plans to move its headquarters from San Francisco to the Dallas area.

Nielsen said the chamber succeeded in championing education as a statewide and regional priority. He cheered the passage of House Bill 3, a state law that will fund raises for teachers and other education efforts, including full-day prekindergarten for low-income families. And he pointed to the growing number of Dallas ISD students getting associates degrees while still in high school.

Axxess CEO John Olajide, the incoming chair of the Dallas Regional Chamber, started a technology company that makes software used by home health care agencies after he moved from Nigeria to Dallas to attend University of Texas at Dallas. He said his company’s growth story is a uniquely American and a uniquely Dallas story.

Dallas Regional Chamber CEO Dale Petroskey described Marshall as “probably the most inspiring CEO in Dallas right now.”

Marshall, known for her confidence and authenticity, said it took years to be her true self. She estimated that she didn’t achieve that until the 24th or 25th year of a 36-year career at AT&T. She decided to share stories about her life when she was invited to speak to a group of inner-city schoolchildren.

“I called my mother and asked if I could tell our domestic violence story and I just said, ‘You know what, I’m finally going to do me.’ ”

She opened up about the adversity she overcame: Growing up in poverty. Living with a father who broke her nose. Having four miscarriages. Coping with the death of her daughter.

That openness shaped her leadership style. When she began at the Dallas Mavs, she said she had one-on-ones with employees. She asked them to share their life stories — not just their career aspirations but also their childhoods and their families.

She said she prioritized changing the culture and the makeup of the leadership team. The leadership team is now 50% women and 47% people of color, she said.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle joined Marshall on stage at the end of her remarks sporting a Mavs T-shirt. Marshall wore a bright blue pantsuit.

“People tease me when they say ‘You’re always in blue,’ ” she said. “I say I went to [University of California at] Berkeley. I worked for AT&T. I work for the Mavs. My money is blue. It’s not green.”

 

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