Sheila Johnson

THE HOSPITALITY MAGNATE CREATING THE MOST STYLISH, JOYFUL, AND INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES ANYWHERE

- JESSICA B. HARRIS

TENACIOUS,” “significant,” and “a force, an unstoppable force”— when Sheila Johnson is mentioned, these are the first words that come to mind for media star Carla Hall, chef Kwame Onwuachi, and culinary impresario Alexander Smalls. But even those superlatives seem inadequate for this petite powerhouse, who is garlanded with any number of kudos and firsts: concert violinist, cofounder of Black Entertainment Television, first woman stakeholder in three professional sports franchises, and megaphilanthropist.

When Johnson turns her hand to something, it seems that magic inevitably ensues. However, as she recounted in her autobiography,