McDonnell Releases New Positive TV Ad Featuring Sheila Johnson
Johnson: “Bob McDonnell has the best ideas grow our economy and create jobs.”
RICHMOND- Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial nominee and former Attorney General of Virginia, today began airing a new television ad featuring Democratic businesswoman Sheila Johnson. In this positive ad, Johnson speaks of McDonnell’s commitment to strengthening the economy and creating new jobs, his experience as a manager at a Fortune 500 company, and his bipartisan leadership as Attorney General, concluding: “That’s the kind of governor we need, and that’s why this Democrat strongly supports Bob McDonnell for governor.”
The ad is running in Northern Virginia.
In the spot “Sheila”, Johnson says:
“I’m Sheila Johnson, a Democrat businesswoman. I know what it takes to start and grow successful businesses and create jobs. That’s why I support Bob McDonnell for governor. Bob McDonnell has the best ideas grow our economy and create jobs. As a business manager for a health care company and Attorney General, Bob McDonnell is a bipartisan leader who gets results. That’s the kind of governor we need, and that’s why this Democrat strongly supports Bob McDonnell for governor.”
About Sheila C. Johnson
Sheila C. Johnson is the CEO of Salamander Hospitality, a company she founded in 2005. As CEO, Ms. Johnson oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties including Woodlands Inn in Summerville, South Carolina and Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club (a 900 acre, 72-hole resort) in Innisbrook, Florida. In 2008, Salamander Hospitality began construction on Salamander Resort & Spa, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Middleburg, Virginia. When the resort opens in spring 2011, it is poised to become one of the most unique and sought after retreats in the world. Ms. Johnson presently owns Market Salamander and Salamander Touch also located in Middleburg.
As a partner in Lincoln Holdings, Ms. Johnson is the only African-American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Ms. Johnson serves as President and Managing Partner of the Mystics. Ms. Johnson is also a partner in ProJet Aviation, a comprehensive aviation service company specializing in aviation consulting, aircraft acquisitions, management, and charter services based in Winchester, Virginia.
Ms. Johnson has long been a powerful influence in the entertainment industry, most recently as a film producer. In partnership with other investors, her first film, Kicking It, premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. She served as sole executive producer on her second film, A Powerful Noise, which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. As a philanthropist, she has been a strong advocate of CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. An avid supporter of the arts and an accomplished violinist, Ms. Johnson serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of Parsons The New School for Design in New York, a board member of the Americans for the Arts, and a supporter of VH1 Save the Music Foundation. She sits on the boards of the Tiger Woods Foundation, The Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, and the University of Illinois Foundation. Johnson is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Illinois, as well as honorary degrees from numerous other institutions. Ms. Johnson lives in Middleburg, Virginia