The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women is thrilled to welcome one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, Sheila Johnson, as our special guest for the January 2024 Women’s Leadership Luncheon.

Among her long list of impressive accomplishments, Sheila co-founded BET, the first cable TV network for Black audiences. 

A generous philanthropist and supporter of The Centre for Women, Sheila was one of our first Waves of Change honorees in 2017.   We are delighted to welcome her to share the latest chapter in her inspiring story.

Her new book, Walk Through Fire, is a uniquely American success story.

She is the founder & CEO of the Salamander Collection, a company she founded in 2005.   The collection includes Salamander Middleburg in her home state of VA; Hotel Bennett in Charleston, SC; Half Moon in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, CO; the newly branded Salamander Washington, DC; and Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay, which is host to the annual PGA TOUR Valspar Championship on its famed Copperhead Course.

As Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Johnson is the only African American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, for which she serves as President and Managing Partner. 

Our Luncheon Series Supports Our Women’s Leadership Programs