Academic Degrees
PhD, Michigan State University, 2000
MS, Michigan State University, 1997
BA, Michigan State University, 1995
Research and Teaching Interests
Human Resource Management
Organizational Employee Behavior Management
Current Trends Impacting the Hospitality Industry
Education, Teaching and Scholarship
Biography
Misty M. Johanson is a professor of hospitality leadership at the Driehaus College of Business, where she served as dean through June 2020. DePaul presented Johanson with its 2020 Spirit of DePaul Award.
Johanson was appointed dean March 1, 2018, after serving for eight months as interim dean. Her leadership focused on strategically growing enrollment, promoting student success, enhancing faculty and staff development and expanding the college’s connections to the business community. Johanson previously served as an associate dean of the business school for six years, overseeing areas that include academic quality, accreditation and industry engagement.
She joined DePaul in 2009 to establish the college’s School of Hospitality Leadership and became its director in 2014. Under her leadership, the hospitality school earned accolades for both its innovative teaching and faculty research. The Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education has recognized DePaul's hospitality and leadership program as the best in Illinois. The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation awarded the school a $1.8 million grant in 2016 to create and endow a new Center for Student Development and Engagement.
The center, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, provides professional development and mentoring opportunities with industry leaders. An Executive in Residence program, funded by Hyatt and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, brings executives into the School of Hospitality Leadership to network with faculty, advise students, and connect them with Chicago's world-class hospitality industry.
In addition to receiving multiple excellence in teaching awards, Johanson has been named one of the most prolific authors in her field. She has published more than 50 top-refereed scholarly articles and two text books, and served as executive editor of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, the hospitality field's top research journal.
Prior to her arrival at DePaul, Johanson spent seven years as a tenured faculty member with the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and four years on the faculty of the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. She earned a BA, MS and PhD in hospitality business and tourism from Michigan State University. She started her hospitality career with Marriott International after graduating from MSU, and has served as a manager, management advisor and consultant to international hospitality organizations.