Known best for: Becoming the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks — the first African American woman CEO in the NBA
Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall was born in Alabama, but her family moved to Richmond, California when her parents decided they did not want to raise their children in the Jim Crow South. Years after her family’s move, the 16th Street Baptist Church down the street from her former home was bombed in a racist attack.
Marshall grew up in relative poverty in Richmond, but despite the odds against her, attended UC Berkeley on a scholarship. She was offered scholarships to several colleges but ultimately chose UC Berkeley because it was close to her home.