Sheila Johnson

This founder became the first Black woman billionaire in America after selling her company for $3B.

In 1980, Sheila Johnson and her then-husband Robert launched Black Entertainment Television.

BET gave Black audiences a seat at the media table and spotlighted artists who’d been shut out.

Meanwhile, Sheila built youth programs, created Teen Summit to push back on toxic media images, and ran corporate affairs while the business scaled to millions of households.

Then, in 2001, BET sold to Viacom for $3B.

Sheila sold her shares, left the company… and her marriage.

After 33 years, she divorced Robert Johnson in 2002.

The marriage, as she later revealed, was marked by emotional abuse and betrayal.

In 2005, she bet everything on something totally different: luxury hospitality.

She bought 340 acres in Middleburg, Virginia.

A horse country town that didn’t want her there.

Locals resisted. Zoning battles dragged on.

But ultimately that land became Salamander Resort & Spa: an 85,000-square-foot French country-style destination.

Today, she owns and runs seven resorts, including the Innisbrook Golf Resort, home to a PGA Tour stop.

In 2023 and 2024, Salamander was voted #1 Best Luxury Hotel Brand by USA TODAY readers.

Every August, Salamander Middleburg hosts The Family Reunion.

A four-day food and culture festival created with Chef Kwame Onwuachi to celebrate Black culinary excellence.

Sheila’s also the only Black woman in U.S. history with ownership in three major sports teams: the Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL), and Washington Mystics (WNBA).

She bought the Mystics herself in 2005.

Then partnered with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, becoming Vice Chairman.

She’s on the boards of Parsons, VH1 Save the Music, Americans for the Arts, and the University of Illinois Foundation.

She’s a Global Ambassador for CARE, where her “I Am Powerful” campaign raised over $8M for women in poverty.

And in 2008, she donated $4M to her alma mater’s School of Music.

She also released her memoir a year ago: Walk Through Fire.

Sheila still lives in Middleburg with her second husband, William T. Newman Jr., the judge who presided over her divorce, then helped her heal from it.