Sheila C. Johnson

Sheila C. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur and impassioned philanthropist.  

 

 

 

As Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Ms. Johnson is President and Managing Partner of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the only African-American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams, including  the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals.  

 

 

 

As CEO of Salamander Hotels, a company she founded in 2005, Ms. Johnson oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties. Grand Golf Resorts of Florida features three golf and family resorts reaching from the Gulf to the Atlantic – Innisbrook Resort near Tampa; Reunion Resort in Orlando; and Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast. Grand Resorts at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic also features three luxurious properties – the oceanfront Sanctuary, the marina-inspired Fishing Lodge and the boutique-style Ocean Club; the Five Star Woodlands Inn near Charleston, South Carolina; and the much-anticipated, ultra-luxurious Salamander Resort & Spa, currently being constructed in Middleburg, Virginia.

 

 

Ms. Johnson is a partner in ProJet Aviation, a comprehensive aviation service company specializing in aviation consulting, aircraft acquisitions, management, and charter services based in Leesburg, VA.  She is also a partner in Mistral, the makers of fine bath, body and home products.

 

 

 

Ms. Johnson has long been a powerful influence in the entertainment industry, as a founding partner of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and most recently as a film producer.  In partnership with other investors, her first film, Kicking It, premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT.  She was executive producer of her second film, A Powerful Noise, which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and her third film, She Is The Matador.  Her latest film, The Other City, a critically acclaimed documentary about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Washington DC, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2010.

 

 

 

In May 2011, Ms. Johnson joined the AOL Huffington Post Media Group as Strategic Advisor for Multicultural and African-American Initiatives.

 

 

 

In 2006, Ms. Johnson was named global ambassador for CARE, a leading humanitarian organization that combats global poverty by empowering women. “Sheila’s I Am Powerful Challenge” was instrumental in helping raise $8 million in less than one year for CARE’s important work.  Since 2011, she has served as a member of Accordia Global Health Foundation’s International Council, helping rally support for the foundation’s efforts to overcome the burden of infectious diseases by building healthcare capacity and strengthening academic medical institutions in Africa.  Ms. Johnson is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

 

 

A fervent supporter of the arts and education, Ms. Johnson was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of Parsons The New School for Design in New York, as well as on the boards of the Sundance Institute Board of Trustees, the Tiger Woods Foundation, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, ANNIKA Foundation, and the University of Illinois Foundation.

 

An accomplished violinist, Ms. Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Illinois, as well as honorary degrees from numerous other institutions. Ms. Johnson lives in Middleburg, VA, is married to the Honorable William T. Newman, Jr. and has two children.