Bob Johnson
Robert Johnson is the Founder and Chairman of The RLJ Companies, a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to this, he founded Black Entertainment Television, the first Black-owned television network in the United States. Johnson also holds interests in businesses operating in hotel real estate, private equity, 401k fintech services, automobile dealerships, content streaming, gaming, and sports betting. Today, he continues to attract and manage capital for investors.
Bob Johnson Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder and Chairman
Academic History
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Master’s Degree in International Affairs
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BA in Social Studies
CURRENT APPOINTMENTS
- Board Member of RLJ Lodging Trust
- Board Member of KB Home
- Board Member of Discovery, Inc
- Board Member of G-III Apparel Group
- Board Member of The Business Council
- Board Member of Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
CAREER
- Johnson has successfully taken several companies public, including:
- Black Entertainment Television became public in 1991, making the network the first African American company to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
- RLJ Lodging Trust went public in 2011.
- RLJ Entertainment marks the third time Johnson has taken a company public.
- He sold BET to Viacom in 2001 for approximately $3 billion.
- Two of his holding companies are ranked among the top Black-owned companies in the country on the Black Enterprise 100s list: RLJ-McLarty-Landers Automotive Holdings, LLC and RLJ Equity Partners, LLC.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
- In July 2007, Johnson was named by USA Today as one of the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years.