RJ

Robert Louis Johnson

Director at Elevate

Robert L. Johnson has served on our Board of Directors since May 2014, and previously served on the board of directors of TFI from August 2012 to 2014. He is a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Johnson is the founder and Chairman of The RLJ Companies, an innovative business network that owns or holds interests in a diverse portfolio of companies in the consumer financial services, private equity, real estate, hospitality, film production, gaming and automobile dealership industries. Prior to forming The RLJ Companies, in 1980 Mr. Johnson founded Black Entertainment Television (BET) where he served as chief executive officer. In 2001, BET was acquired by Viacom Inc. and Mr. Johnson continued to serve as chief executive officer until 2006. In July 2007, Mr. Johnson was named by USA Today as one of the “25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years.” Mr. Johnson currently serves on the compensation committee and the nomination and governance committee of KB Home (NYSE: KBH), as well as on the board of directors or trustees of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE: RLJ). Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Illinois and holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. We believe Mr. Johnson is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors due to his experience as a successful chief executive officer of BET and The RLJ Companies as well as his experience in finance, banking and brand-building enterprises. In addition, he brings experience from serving on more than seven publicly-traded companies and participating in board committees including audit, governance and compensation and has a proven commitment to serving minority and underserved consumers.