By TRISTAN JENSEN
Editorial Assistant
Bob Johannsen began as administrator of the New Richland Care Center last October. His parents, Dale and Dixie, live in the New Richland area and he has a sister, Rachel Jellum, living in Waseca. Prior to taking this role, he was doing interim work. When Johannsen heard a permanent position near his family was available, he says he felt it would be a better fit for him than traveling and “went for it.” As administrator, Johannsen oversees operations at the Care Center, ensures they have appropriate staffing levels, and plans future events – whether those are meetings, activities, staffing changes, or projects for community maintenance.
Johannsen lives in Freeborn, which he calls his hometown. He has three children – Stephanie Koerber who lives in Marshall with her own two children; Tyler Johannsen is in the air force like his father and is stationed in the Netherlands, and Nick Johannsen lives in the Albert Lea area and works for LTD Broadband. Johannsen has worked in healthcare since the early 1990s, and says he joined the airforce wanting to do something he'd be able to continue when he left. When he enlisted, Johannsen was only planning on four years, but it ended up being almost eight. While in the air force, he earned two Associate's degrees. Following his active duty, Johannsen went to school at the University of Minnesota Cruxton, where in 2001 he earned a Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration – a business degree with a focus on healthcare.
Those who know Johannsen know he's “a dog person, not a cat person,” and that he's an avid outdoorsman. Johannsen enjoys hunting and fishing, and can talk about that and sports with “the guys” for a long time on a regular basis. He says he's currently looking for a good hunting dog. He volunteers regularly with Ducks Unlimited, and has also volunteered for ten years with the Alden-Conger High School Trap Shooting team. Johannsen also enjoys gardening and lawncare, and – sometimes surprising people – cartoons. Bugs Bunny and Charlie Brown have a special place in his life; his sister often told him he was “the Charlie Brown-iest.” He plans to ensure his grandchildren grow up with an appreciation for those cartoons from his own “good old days.”
When he was younger, Johannsen says he wanted to learn photography. He's never taken up the hobby seriously, but still snaps a photo every now and again. Recently, he took a photo of Freeborn Lake at sunset, standing at his front door. The photo will soon adorn his office wall. Johannsen works a lot of long hours as administrator of the Care Center, and says the photograph “will remind me when it's time to go home.”