He is the Frederick W. Kayser Professor of Communication at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is the author or editor of many books and articles, notably on environmental and Native American issues.
[1][2] Johansen was born in San Diego, California, where his father served as a United States Coast Guard officer.
His doctoral dissertation, Franklin, Jefferson and American Indians: a study in the cross-cultural communication of ideas, formed the basis of his 1982 book Forgotten Founders: How the American Indian Helped Shape Democracy.
In 1982 Johansen joined the faculty of University of Nebraska at Omaha where he is the Kayser Professor of Communication.
[4][5] Johansen was lifelong friends with Roberto Maestas (July 9, 1938 – September 22, 2010), founder of El Centro de la Raza, a Latino community rights organization in Seattle.