Mr. Robert L. Johnson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Companies, where he owns or holds interests in companies operating in the professional sports, hospitality, real estate, gaming, banking and financial services, and film production industries. Mr. Johnson is the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), a subsidiary of Viacom and the leading African-American operated media and entertainment company in the United States, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until January 2006.

In 2002, Mr. Johnson became the first African-American majority owner of a major sports franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. From 1976 to 1979, he served as Vice President of Governmental Relations for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

Mr. Johnson also served as Press Secretary for the Honorable Walter E. Fauntroy, Congressional Delegate from the District of Columbia. He also serves on the following boards: NBA Board of Governors, The Johns Hopkins University, Lowe's Companies, IMG, Deutsch Bank Advisory Board, Wal-Mart Diversity Committee, and the Business Council. He holds a bachelor's degree in social studies from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Source: www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/broadcast/radio/black_history_month/009464.html