It is with deep sadness that CAL SMACNA announces the passing of a longtime leader and friend, Cyndi Marshall. Cyndi dedicated more than 30 years of distinguished service to our association and to California’s sheet metal and air conditioning industry. We were recently informed of her passing and want to ensure our members have the opportunity to learn of this news and properly honor her significant contributions and lasting legacy. Our thoughts are with her family and all those whose lives she touched.
Cyndi Marshall
1947 – 2026
Cyndi Marshall, a pioneering leader who broke barriers as a woman in California’s traditionally male-dominated sheet metal and air conditioning industry, and a tireless advocate for contractors, workforce development, and vocational education, passed away earlier this year. She was 78 years old.
For more than 30 years, Cyndi served families and businesses across California’s sheet metal and air conditioning industry with distinction, professionalism, and vision. She began her career in 1986 as Membership Director for Sacramento and Central Valley SMACNA. In 1989, she joined the statewide organization CAL SMACNA as Director of Operations and advanced to Interim General Manager in 1994. In 1998, she made history as the first woman in the United States to serve as a statewide SMACNA Chapter Executive Vice President. She held that role with excellence for 18 years, guiding the organization with integrity and innovation.
Under Cyndi’s leadership, CAL SMACNA thrived through prudent fiscal management and the creation of expanded membership services, recognition programs, new associate membership categories, and revitalized conventions. The association earned national recognition from SMACNA as the only statewide chapter designated as a “Multi-Service” chapter.
Cyndi was a powerful advocate at the state level. She built and maintained strong, positive relationships with the California State Legislature and key regulatory agencies, including the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), California Building Standards Commission, Department of Insurance, Cal/OSHA, State Architect, California Public Utilities Commission, and California Energy Commission. She authored draft “Guidelines for Application Procedures” that were later approved and adopted by the CSLB, helping over a hundred small businesses and contractors successfully obtain their licenses. She also collaborated with the State Fire Marshal to develop a statewide California Fire, Smoke, & Radiation Damper Installation Guide.
A champion of workforce development, Cyndi initiated the California Coalition for Construction in the Classroom (CCCC) taskforce in 1996 to address the decline of vocational education in K-12 schools. The coalition became a legal entity in 1998 and grew into a multi-industry movement that helped transform vocational education into today’s career and technical education programs. In 2008, she led CAL SMACNA to become a founding member of the GetREAL Coalition alongside major labor and industry partners including the State Building and Construction Trades Council and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association to restore and strengthen high school programs statewide.
Cyndi also created impactful initiatives for civic engagement. In 2004, she launched the CAL SMACNA “Day at the Capitol” to foster relationships between contractors and state legislators. She later encouraged contractors to bring their children to these events, inspiring future generations of industry leaders — one of whom went on to work for the President of the United States in the White House.
During the 2004 workers’ compensation rate crisis, she helped members by implementing and managing an effective Alternative Dispute Resolution program for injured workers.
In recognition of her decades of dedicated service, national SMACNA awarded Cyndi the Special Legislative Service Award in 2016 for her consistent, reliable, and enthusiastic partnership on national legislative issues affecting the construction industry.
Cyndi’s legacy is one of trailblazing leadership, collaboration, and lasting impact on California’s construction industry, its workforce, and its policy landscape. She broke barriers as a woman in a male-dominated field while strengthening the organizations and people she served. She will be remembered for her expertise, enthusiasm, strategic vision, and deep commitment to supporting contractors, small businesses, and the next generation of skilled tradespeople.
In memory of Cyndi Marshall, CAL SMACNA encourages donations in her name to the Rosemont High School Engineering, Construction & Design Academy (ECD). To learn more about the program see the following links — Engineering, Construction, & Design Academy (ECD) – Rosemont High School and VIDEO ECD – Documentary – SEVA 2020 – Timothy Lyubezhanin.
Cyndi Marshall’s contributions will continue to benefit California’s sheet metal and air conditioning industry and its workers for years to come. She will be deeply missed by her colleagues, the contractors she served, and all who had the privilege of working with her.
ECD Trades Project Donation Link
