Cynthia Marshall, who quickly became one of the state’s most visible corporate executives after becoming president of AT&T’s North Carolina operations, has been promoted to a new position at corporate headquarters in Dallas.

Marshall is the new senior vice president of human resources at AT&T and will report to Bill Blase, senior executive vice president of human resources for the 241,000 employee company. Blase, in turn, reports to Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson.

Marshall “has a wide range of experience in the company,” said AT&T spokesman Clifton Metcalf. “She knows how the company works. She will bring that wide-ranging experience to this position.”

Marshall, 52, has been with AT&T and its predecessors for more than 30 years. She was named president of AT&T’s North Carolina operations, which employs 7,000 workers, in 2007.

Last year Marshall chronicled her successful battle against colon cancer in an online journal. She was officially on leave for six months, though that didn’t stop her from logging 40 hours of work from home during her good weeks.

Marshall also was the first African-American to lead the board of directors of the N.C. Chamber, a powerful lobbying group for business, and in that role made frequent public appearances and speeches across the state. She also has been active in a number of North Carolina nonprofit organizations.

Marshall said in a statement: “I will always consider myself a North Carolinian and cherish the many friends I have here. At the same time, I am excited about this new opportunity and look forward to assisting the corporation in developing our most valuable resource, our employees, and in attracting new and energetic employees committed to serving our customers better than anyone else.”

Marshall, who lives in Cary, will be moving to Dallas.

“This move is bittersweet for me and my family as we truly consider North Carolina our home,” she said. “That’s why our two college-age children plan to be enrolled at two of our great North Carolina schools in the fall.”

Marshall and her husband, Kenneth Marshall, have three children – two in high school and one who is attending High Point University. But one of the high school students is a senior who plans to attend a North Carolina college in the fall, Metcalf said.

Marshall wasn’t available for additional comment.