
Sheila Johnson
serial entrepreneur
Sheila C. Johnson has built a reputation on making bold investments that tap into her personal beliefs + passions…to build businesses, advance education, promote diversity, grow women's professional sports, nurture the arts and give back to the global community.
With an estimated net worth of $400 million, she ranks second only to Oprah Winfrey among the wealthiest black women in America.
When asked what business strategy has allowed her to achieve such incredible success, Sheila revealed that her model is to not follow any model. In her own words ~ "When I instinctively feel it is the right move to make, I do it."
giving back | it's hard to find a cause or organization in which Sheila is not involved, from arts education to fighting HIV/AIDS to international relief
arts + entertainment | violinist by training, founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), documentary film producer, arts patron, diversity advocate
sports | only African-American woman to hold a stake in 3 professional sports teams ~ including the Mystics {WNBA}, the Washington Capitals {NHL} and the Washington Wizards {NBA} ~ not to mention sponsor a homeless women's street soccer team, The Lady Salamanders
luxury escapes | her Salamander Hotels + Resorts can be found across the Southern US and Caribbean, her travel photos grace her line of luxury scarves and she's a partner in a charter aviation firm
2000 | sold BET {founded in 1980} to Viacom for $3 billion
2005 | founded Salamander Hotels and Resorts
2013 | Lee Daniels' film The Butler opened to widespread acclaim ~ executive producer Sheila raised $30 million after Hollywood refused to fund the project
from | to
violin teacher + self-described "CEO of my own life" | executive leading a vast philanthropic, media, entertainment + hospitality empire
born on
January 25, 1949
born in
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
grew up in
Chicago, Illinois
citizen of
The United States of America
daughter of
Marie Iris Crump
~ accountant + pianist ~
Dr. George P. Crump
~ neurosurgeon + pianist ~
birth name
Sheila Crump
educated at
Irving High School
Proviso High School
University of Illinois
~ B.A. | music {violin} ~
divorced from
Robert L. Johnson
~ married 1969 - 2002 ~
married to
William T. Newman
~ circuit court chief justice | married in 2005 ~
mother of
1 daughter | Paige
~ an accomplished equestrian ~
1 son | Brett
~ fashion designer ~
advocate for
women
African Americans
arts education
ending HIV/AIDS
in her spare time
attends equestrian events
photography
~ she turned her passion into a fashionable line of scarves ~
pet lover
~ Justice, her dog ~
tweets
@SJ_Collection
collapse bio bits"Oprah Winfrey has grown emotionally and spiritually in such a positive way, and she's never really come off her path. She's almost like a hurricane - category 5 and building."
Life after BET: A Billion Lessons Learned | may 2005
"I am very happy. . . . I'm following my passion, and I wake up everyday wanting to do more."
A Heart-to-Heart with America's First Black Billionairess | september 2005
"The work to which we give ourselves must be something larger than any of us as individuals, something big enough to be worthy of who we might someday be and what we have the talent and potential to offer."
Philanthropist Calls on Colleges to Inspire Students to Give | june 2007
"None of my success in life would have been possible if not for my education in the arts."
Philanthropist Calls on Colleges to Inspire Students to Give | june 2007
"Basically, educators have been my role models."
Interview with America's First Black Billionairess, Sheila C. Johnson | january 2010
"Many of the challenges currently facing our nation affect the African-American community disproportionately. . . . Yet, if we aren't being heard in key public debates, we cannot help to shape them."
Welcome to HuffPost BlackVoices! | august 2011
"Today, we have incredibly powerful new media tools -- tools that can help us inform, inspire, educate and engage one another. The digital space, with its interactivity and immediacy, allows us to not merely consume but participate in and drive contemporary debates."
Welcome to HuffPost BlackVoices! | august 2011
"Surround yourself with people who share your vision and don't have their own agenda."
How Business Mogul Sheila C. Johnson Turned a Passion Project into a Luxury Scarf Line | november 2012
"Everywhere I go, I take my camera. It forces me to slow down, and really look, and really see. And what I’ve seen is so inspiring."
How Business Mogul Sheila C. Johnson Turned a Passion Project into a Luxury Scarf Line | november 2012
"Opportunities where I can continue to express myself and continue to challenge the boundaries of sharing my life with others—that’s what gets me out of bed every morning."
How Business Mogul Sheila C. Johnson Turned a Passion Project into a Luxury Scarf Line | november 2012
"You have to diversify to grow. I'm not afraid to take risks and fail."
A Day in the Life of Sheila Johnson | may 2013
"Money doesn't fall out of the sky. We had a business plan, an extraordinary proposal and it was the right timing."
Sheila's Third Act | january 2014
"Once you've explored all of your options, you have to know when to let go."
Sheila's Third Act | january 2014
curated with care by Meghan Miller Brawley {july 2014}
Black Entertainment Television
Sheila and her then-husband Bob Johnson launched BET in 1980, as a two-hour programming block on the television network Nickelodeon. By 1983 it had become a separate network, and, in 2000, they sold it to Viacom for $3 billion. Sheila has often voiced dismay since then at the direction BET programming has taken, particularly in the treatment and portrayal of women in music videos. She created a news and talk program for the channel called Teen Summit, which ran from 1989-2002.
BET
Washington DC Power List 2012
The Italian Ambassador teamed up with Giorgio Armani + Elle Magazine to recognize 10 DC-area women who are making an impact ~ including Sheila. The reception took place at the ambassador's official residence, Villa Firenze.
Alfredo Flores | Italian Embassy | CC BY-ND 2.0
Salamander Resort & Spa
The Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia, is close to Sheila's heart. The project took 10 years, and she faced racism, local opposition and economic threats before it opened in 2013. Since then, the 340-acre resort has been a fantastic success ~ just one piece of the many businesses Sheila's Salamander company has brought to Virginia's horse country.
Justin Kriel