CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois alumna Sheila Johnson will serve as keynote speaker of the Fighting Illini Women’s Summit as part of the school’s celebration of the 50-year anniversary of Title IX.
“As part of our Title IX celebration, we could think of no one more fitting to serve as our keynote speaker than Sheila Johnson,” said UI Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. “Sheila has been a pioneer in every sense of the word, breaking new ground throughout the course of her life in education, media, business, and sports. Sheila has always been a proud Illini, and we are grateful to her for taking time from her busy schedule to help us celebrate this milestone in the advancement of women’s athletics.”
The Illini Women’s Summit is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9 in the Colonnades Club at Memorial Stadium. The summit will feature experts analyzing, highlighting, and debating the myriad changes in sports – especially women’s and girls’ sports – that have occurred since the inception of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972. That landmark legislation outlawed sex discrimination in educational programs and mandated, among other things, that colleges and universities must offer athletic scholarships and teams for women commensurate with their overall student populations. The UI Varsity I Association will be extending invitations this summer to all former Illini women student-athletes.
“This Women’s Summit will be a wonderful opportunity, and not just for me, but for all those who choose to join us – men and women alike,” Johnson said. “Because, believe me, to understand Title IX and its impact on American life – both the things it got right and those that still need fine tuning – is to understand just a little better who we are and where we’re going as a country.”
A cheerleader during her days in Champaign-Urbana, in 1970 – two years before the passage of Title IX – she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music performance and education. She subsequently, with then-husband, Robert Johnson, went on to co-found Black Entertainment Television (BET), a cable network targeting African Americans, before selling to Viacom in 2001.
Since that time, Johnson has created a rich and diverse professional portfolio that includes hotels and resorts, real estate, and multiple sports franchises. In 2004, Johnson launched Salamander Hotels & Resorts, whose flagship property, the equestrian-themed Salamander Resort & Spa in the heart of Virginia’s horse country, recently received a Five-Star rating from the Forbes Travel Guide for both its luxury hotel and world-class spa, one of only 30 properties in the U.S. to be so honored.
Other members of the Salamander family of destinations include: Innisbrook, north of Tampa Bay, home of the PGA Valspar Championship, Hotel Bennett in Charleston, the iconic Aspen Meadows in Aspen, Colorado, Half Moon in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and, most recently, the Aurora Anguilla Resort & Club in Anguilla.
Johnson, the first African American woman to own a stake in three professional sports franchises – the Washington Capitals (NHL), the Washington Wizards (NBA), and the Washington Mystics (WNBA) – also serves as Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports and Entertainment and is team president, managing partner and governor of the Mystics.
As founder of the esteemed Middleburg Film Festival and a deeply committed philanthropist who targets her giving in three areas near and dear to her heart (education, the advancement of the arts, and the empowerment of women and young people of color), Johnson has received multiple awards for her support of the arts and humanitarian work over the years, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Lincoln Medal Award, the Women’s Sports Foundation Billie Jean King Leadership Award, the W.E.B. DuBois Medal, the Annie Oakley Award, the Lincoln Academy of Illinois’ Order of Lincoln medal, the Jacob Burns Film Center Vision Award, the Feminist Press’ Feminine Award, and the Washington Business Hall of Fame Laureate award.
An accomplished violinist in her own right (as well as former music instructor) Ms. Johnson was last seen teaching herself the cello. In that same spirit, in 2008 she endowed two major initiatives at the University of Illinois School of Music to help young music students and to honor two of the most influential people in her life: the Daniel J. Perrino Chair in Music and the Susan Starrett Chair Violin Scholarships.
The full schedule of the Illini Women’s Summit will be available later this summer.
