Sheila C. Johnson

Sheila Crump Johnson is a businesswoman, co-founder of BET, CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and the first African-American woman to attain a net worth of at least one billion dollars. She is the team president, managing partner, and governor of the WNBA's Washington Mystics. As CEO of Salamander Hospitality, a company she founded in 2005, Johnson oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties. Among her properties is the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, which houses a 72-hole golf course that hosts the annual PGA TOURs Transitions Championship and the LPGA Legends Tour Open Championship.

As a leading humanitarian, Johnson is a global ambassador for CARE, an organization fighting global poverty. Her I Am Powerful Challenge was instrumental in raising funds for CARE's efforts. Johnson serves as chair of the board of governors of Parsons The New School for Design in New York and funded the opening of the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center. Additionally, she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity.

Johnson has long been a powerful influence in the entertainment industry. As a founding partner of BET (Black Entertainment Television), she has made significant contributions to media and entertainment. Her film production credentials include her first film, Kicking It, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and A Powerful Noise, for which she served as the sole executive producer. A fervent supporter of the arts and education, Johnson was appointed by Barack Obama to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities during his administration. She sits on the boards of VH1's Save the Music Foundation, Americans for the Arts, the School of Education and Human Development Foundation at the University of Virginia, and the University of Illinois Foundation.

In addition to her varied accomplishments, Johnson is the owner or partner of three professional sports franchises: the Washington Capitals, the Washington Wizards, and the Washington Mystics. She has received several awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Lincoln Medal, the Order of Lincoln, and the Billie Jean King Leadership Award. Her memoir, "Walk Through Fire," was published by Simon & Schuster in September 2023.