NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES NEW GOVERNORS

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the completion of its Board of Governors reconfiguration to include the addition of Ms. Sheila Johnson, Ms. Cynthia (“Cynt”) Marshall, and Hall of Fame Coach Tara VanDerveer, bringing the Board of Governors to its maximum of 23 leadership positions. 

The Naismith Hall of Fame is in the best financial condition since its inception in 1959, and continues to grow, along with basketball, in significance to constituencies within and outside of the game. The Hall’s Board reconfiguration is designed to leverage this strong position to further enhance the organization’s business plan, global reach, and positive impact. 

The Naismith Hall’s three newest Governors are powerhouses in business and basketball. 

Sheila Johnson joins the Board with a wealth of expertise and experience, including at the intersection of tourism and hospitality, sports, arts and entertainment, and philanthropy. Johnson is the founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, a growing luxury hotel company, which includes Salamander Middleburg – one of only five properties in the U.S. to earn separate Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards for its accommodations, restaurant, and spa. As a Partner of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, Johnson is an owner of three Washington, DC professional sports teams: the Wizards, Mystics, and Capitals. Among Johnson’s other leadership roles include: board member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; College of Performing Arts at The New School; Trust for the National Mall; The Metropolitan Opera; Jackie Robinson Foundation; Simon & Schuster Publishing Advisory Board, and founder and chair of the Middleburg Film Festival. In partnership with James Beard Award-winning Chef and Restaurateur Kwame Onwuachi, she founded the Family Reunion – a celebration of culinary excellence and diversity in the hospitality community. On her election to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Governors, Johnson stated: “I look forward to helping to elevate and broaden the positive reach of this important organization in its many facets – from sports museum, to cultural institution, to community and leadership builder, and more.”

Cynt Marshall brings visionary leadership and mastery in creating positive cultural transformation in organizations through a people-centered approach. Marshall is the founder and CEO of Marshalling Resources, a premier consulting firm focused on leadership and organizational development. Marshall served as CEO of the Dallas Mavericks from March 2018 through December 2024, and previously as a leader in operations, legislative affairs, and human resources at AT&T, where her roles included president of AT&T’s North Carolina division, and senior vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer. At both organizations, Marshall spearheaded transformational work to improve operational effectiveness, organizational culture, and employee and stakeholder engagement – in the case of AT&T, helping the company for the first time ever reach Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list (one of only two Fortune 50 companies on that list). Marshall, who serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, reflected on her newest Governor role: “I am delighted to join the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board at this momentous time in the organization’s and basketball’s history. I am excited to get to work to help deepen the Hall’s connections to the many audiences basketball touches. The opportunities are boundless.”

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Tara VanDerveer joins the Naismith Hall of Fame Board – herself a 2011 inductee. VanDerveer retired as the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history, and enjoyed an unprecedented level of success through an energetic and positive approach to the game, and through genuine and lasting connection to her players. As National Coach of the Year five times over three decades, and 18-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, VanDerveer accumulated an impressive 1,216-271 (.818) record in her 45 years as a collegiate head coach (Stanford, Ohio State, Idaho), and a 1,064-220 (.829) record over 38 seasons at Stanford. Since retiring from her coaching career in 2024, VanDerveer now serves as Special Adviser to the Athletic Director at Stanford University. An ambassador for the sport, and now teaching a Masterclass for Continuing Education at Stanford, Coach VanDerveer is poised to add tremendous perspective and leadership to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “I am honored to serve on the Naismith Hall of Fame Board of Governors,” VanDerveer reflected. “It is an opportunity for me to give back to the game that has given so much to me.”

Chairman Jerry Colangelo remarked on the addition of these three new Governors: “I could not be more proud and grateful to welcome Sheila Johnson, Cynt Marshall, and Tara VanDerveer to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Governors. I have long admired each’s tremendous accomplishments and ability to lead any organization they have been involved with to the highest levels of achievement, with integrity and universal acclaim. Sheila, Cynt, and Tara epitomize the leadership we need to take the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to its next level at a time we are poised for significant growth.”

Johnson, Marshall, and VanDerveer join a Board of Governors that already includes, in addition to Chairman Colangelo: Vice Chair and Hall of Famer Julius (“Dr. J”) Erving; Board Secretary and NBA President, Social Responsibility & Player Programs Kathy Behrens; Hall of Famer and CEO of the Dallas Mavericks Rick Welts; Commissioner of the WNBA Cathy Engelbert; Deputy Commissioner of the NBA Mark Tatum; and NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt. The full list of Governors follows.

COMPLETE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophall.