AFAC is pleased and honored to welcome Sheila C. Johnson as Honorary Chair of the 2010 Permanent Home Campaign Benefit.

Sheila C. Johnson is an entrepreneur and philanthropist whose accomplishments span the arenas of hospitality, sports, TV/film, the arts, education and humanitarian causes.

Ms. Johnson is CEO of Salamander Hospitality, LLC, a company she founded in 2005. She oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties including Woodlands Inn, in Summerville, SC, Innisbrook, a 72-hole Golf & Spa Resort in Innisbrook, FL, and the much-anticipated Salamander Resort & Spa, currently being constructed in Middleburg, VA.

As President & Managing Partner of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and a partner in Lincoln Holdings, LLC, Ms. Johnson is the first African-American woman to have a stake in three professional sports teams, including the Washington Wizards (NBA) and the Washington Capitals (NHL). She is also a TV pioneer, having been a founding partner of BET (Black Entertainment Television).

In 2006 Ms. Johnson was named global ambassador for CARE, a leading aid organization fighting global poverty. Ms. Johnson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A fervent supporter of the arts and education, President Obama appointed her to the President’s Committee on the Arts.

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