03/29/2007
Contact:
Beth Olsen
Goodman Media International for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 ext. 243 or bolsen@goodmanmedia.com
Americans for the Arts Announces Sheila C. Johnson to Board of Directors
Washington DC—March 29, 2007—Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, announced today that Sheila C. Johnson will join its 47-member Board of Directors. The group collectively includes leaders in the areas of business, cultural policy, and the arts from across the country.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sheila Johnson to our Board of Directors," stated Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "She is an accomplished business leader with an extraordinary dedication and commitment to the arts and arts education. We look forward to working with her and our other board members to expand further the reach of the arts in this country."
Johnson, CEO of Salamander Hospitality, LLC, and a partner in Lincoln Holdings, LLC, has enjoyed success in many arenas. One of Johnson’s primary philanthropic goals is to create opportunities for children and young adults to express their creativity through the arts; she is also dedicated to ensuring that the world is a safe place for children. Johnson’s support of the arts in education for children has included generous gifts to Strings for Schools in Philadelphia; Urban Gateways in Chicago; and, closer to home, The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, where she has supported early childhood education programs. She also established the Sheila C. Johnson Performing Arts Center at the Hill School in Middleburg, VA. As a co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, her crowning achievement was the development of an award-winning weekly program, Teen Summit, giving teenagers a chance to speak frankly about issues critical to them.
Americans for the Arts honored Johnson in 2006 with a National Arts Award for Philanthropy in the Arts, in recognition of her commitment to new programs for the arts and for reinforcing access to the arts for people of all ages. She also recently provided testimony at a congressional subcommittee hearing encouraging the investment in the arts as a way to help spur creativity and innovation in America. She began her life as a professional violinist, and her love of the arts has been carried throughout her career as a successful businesswoman and philanthropist.
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 45 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
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