# Sheila Johnson

Sheila Crump Johnson (born January 25, 1949) is an American businesswoman, co-founder of BET, CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and the first billionaire African-American woman. Johnson is team president, managing partner, and governor of the WNBA's Washington Mystics, a position she earned before the 2005 season. On May 24, 2005, Washington Sports and Entertainment Chairman, Abe Pollin, sold the Mystics to Lincoln Holdings LLC, where Johnson served as president.

## Quotes

* “I love challenges. I’m a risk-taker,”
* “I was always drawn to places that Black people don’t usually go,” the business executive and philanthropist wrote in her memoir, which was released in the fall.
* No, you were just the nice person who taught me how to play the Ice Castles theme. But in your book, you write about, for example, obsessively practicing your violin to the point where your mother was like,
* “Horses are as important to America’s history as any living creature, including man,”
* “These doors would open, and I said, ‘Why can’t I go through them?’”. “And I decided I was going to go through every door that came my way.”
** The Hill’s Changemakers: Sheila Johnson, Salamander Hotels & Resorts CEO and philanthropist The Hill (13 December 2023)
* “I think I was pissed off,” she says, nodding to her years “as the little woman behind the man.” She adds: “There was a lot of me left on the table.”
** Sheila Johnson, the First Black Female Billionaire, Keeps Reinventing Herself The Wall Street Journal (September 15, 2023)
* “Every time I drive to the Virginia hotel, I’m like, ‘I can’t believe I built this.’ I’m very proud of myself, but to see faces of color coming through the door is really terrific. I want to go out of my way to meet as many guests as possible, because I want them to also feel a sense of ownership here.”
* “I go to my own house. I live on a 200-acre farm in Middleburg, and it’s the best. I can walk up to three miles and never leave the property. That’s my sanctuary.”
** Salamander Resorts Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary This Year — Here's How Owner Sheila Johnson Built a Hotel Empire Travel + Leisure (August 12, 2023)
* "I've been through a lot," . "It's been a tough journey."
* "I was young enough, and I really did believe him because I put him up on a pedestal. I really did. And I thought that everything he said was right, and I had to keep fighting through that. That's what upset me more than anything,
* I tell this to many young girls: do not get involved in a relationship until you know who you are. I didn't know who I was. You know, I was planning my life as I was going along,"
* "I'm a very powerful entrepreneur."
** BET co-founder Sheila Johnson says writing new memoir helped her heal: "I've been through a lot" CBS MORNINGS News (September 18,2023)
* “All my life I have traveled,”“When I was a concert violinist, I traveled the world and stayed in some of the finest hotels. And that has always stuck with me. I felt because I had such a rich background in traveling that I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”
* “You don’t see people like us in the hotel business,” she notes. “I wanted to create a company that not only celebrated diversity, but I also wanted people to see diversity at the resorts, with everybody feeling welcome.”
* “I really felt as though I could be a good leader and role model by building a company that celebrated diversity and bringing in a clientele that will continue to support us,”
* I am creating content programming that is really separating us from all the other companies out there, and this is key,” she says. “I can create my own playground through the hospitality business. It’s not just putting heads in beds, but bringing heads to beds for a purpose. That experience is what Salamander is all about.”
* “I don’t know when I’m going to feel totally comfortable with saying, Yes, I’m successful,” she says. “Every day I wake up and say, Okay, we’ve got to learn to take a risk here and take a risk there. Because I also understand I could lose it all tomorrow. It’s in learning to be vulnerable and true to yourself and really make sure that you’re safe in your space that you can continue to grow your company.”
* I have the most beautiful farm in the world. I sit on almost 200 acres,” “I can walk the horses around. It’s just the most peaceful place in the world, and I love it.”
** Sheila Johnson, Salamander Collection CEO, Shares Her Journey of Success in New Memoir Business Traveler USA (November 3, 2023)

## External links

Sheila Johnson