Sheila Johnson

Sheila Johnson is a U.S. media entrepreneur born in 1949 and based in Virginia. She co-founded BET, leads the Salamander Hotels group as CEO, and is a shareholder of the Washington Capitals, Mystics, and Wizards; her estimated net worth is ~$1.2 billion. NewsAPI RTB

Business & SEC Activity

Johnson co-founded BET and is CEO of the Salamander Hotels group. She also holds shares in the Capitals, Mystics, and Wizards. NewsAPI

Philanthropy

ProPublica's 2023 Form 990 records—annual filings that nonprofit organizations use to report finances—list three Johnson Foundations with combined assets of $8,122,238 and $320,961 in grants paid. The foundations are located in North Carolina, New York, and Iowa; their individual grants paid were $275, $259,165, and $61,521, respectively. ProPublica 990

Political Activity

The FEC data contains at least 100 federal contributions; the figures below cover only the most recent 100 contributions on file. In that sample, contributions totaled $184.06, with $106 to ACTBLUE, $78.05 to WINRED, and $0.01 to E-PAC; the party breakdown is listed as Unknown, so the sample does not establish a party split. FEC

In the News

Axios reported that Johnson sold her Arlington, Virginia, home for $3.15 million in a private sale on August 5, 2026. The report described the property as having five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and more than 8,000 square feet. NewsAPI