Cynthia Marshall, president of AT&T North Carolina, will give the commencement address at Peace College on May 9.

 

Since coming to North Carolina in January 2007, Marshall has quickly established herself as one of the state's business and civic leaders. In addition to her responsibilities for AT&T's regulatory, legislative and community affairs activities in the state, she has championed efforts around dropout prevention and economic opportunities for all North Carolinians.

 

Marshall is a sought-after motivational speaker, for she has inspired business and civic groups across the state with the energy, optimism and determination that brought her from a housing project in the San Francisco area to the president's office of the state's leading communications firm.

 

"I am thrilled that Ms. Marshall has agreed to provide our commencement address," said Peace College President Laura Bingham. "Ms. Marshall is an energetic, vibrant woman with a powerful story to tell. She is an extraordinary role model and will surely inspire our graduates and their families."

 

Marshall, who finished at the top of her class in high school and attended the University of California Berkeley on a full scholarship, joined Pacific Bell in 1981. She has held a variety of line management and staff positions before being named to her current post.

 

She is active in state and national civic affairs. She serves on the Board of Governors of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and is vice chair of the National Utilities Diversity Council. Within North Carolina, Marshall serves on General Assembly's Committee on Dropout Prevention, the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the North Carolina State Chamber, the board of trustees for the N.C. Museum of Art, the CEO advisory Council of the N.C. Center for Non-Profits, the Board of Advisors of the N.C. Conference for Women and on the Board of Trustees for Bennett College for Women. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

 

Peace College is a four-year baccalaureate arts and sciences college that offers a challenging program of study that provides women strong intellectual and personal foundations upon which to build successful and meaningful professional and academic careers. Peace's educational program regularly earns from its students high rankings in the National Survey of Student Engagement.