Sheila Crump Johnson

About

American business executive, philanthropist, and film producer who is the co-founder of BET and CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts. She was the first African-American woman to become a billionaire. She has shared professional updates on her officialsheilajohnson Instagram account. 

Before Fame

She attended the University of Illinois.

Trivia

She was honored as an Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medalist in 2012. In 2019, she was granted the Order of Lincoln award by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, one of the highest honors bestowed by the state. She was also awarded with the BIllie Jean King Leadership Award in 2019 by the Women's Sports Foundation. Her first film, Kicking It, a documentary focusing on the Homeless World Cup soccer game, premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Family Life

She was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and raised in Illinois. Her father was a neurosurgeon and her mother was an accountant. She married Robert L. Johnson in 1969, and the couple divorced in 2002. She went on to marry William Newman in 2005. She has two children.

Associated With

In 2009, she endorsed Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. She later condemned him in 2010 for his omission of any mention of slavery in his proclamation honoring Confederate History Month.