Georgette M. Michko, Ed.D.
University of Houston (Retired)
For exemplary, career-long service and leadership; for key contributions to SWE at every level; and for inspiring and encouraging the aspirations of young women in STEM.
Georgette M. Michko, Ed.D., found engineering after earning a B.A. in American studies from Saint Xavier University in Chicago and working part-time jobs. Relocating to Houston, she worked on a local newspaper and discovered year-round gardening, which sparked a return to school to earn a B.S. in biology from the University of Houston. Working as a part-time orientation advisor exposed her to a wide variety of majors, including engineering, which fascinated her.
As a transition, Dr. Michko pursued an M.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Houston, where she joined the SWE student section and helped plan conferences for high school students. Working as a teaching assistant and instructor for numerical methods, linear algebra, and computer programming, she realized that her interests lay more with computers than biology. In 1989, this realization led to work at the City of Houston Public Works Department administering the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) control system for the Water Production Division, as well as deploying PCs and the division’s first local area network.
Joining the dynamic Houston Area Section of SWE in 1992 opened up many opportunities to learn and practice invaluable project management skills. Dr. Michko served as section president, section representative, and as a member of the planning committee for the 1998 SWE annual convention (as it was called then) and student conference in Houston, where she was instrumental in developing the first SWE convention website.
Moving to the University of Houston information technology staff in 1997 as a server administrator, Dr. Michko helped establish the technical infrastructure for streaming media and online learning, eventually directing the implementation of the online course and learning management systems as they evolved to serve more than 45,000 students and instructors. Serving as a liaison between academic and technical groups, she guided the complex integration of the learning management systems with the university’s student information systems, account management system, and the library.
Dr. Michko served on the SWE board of directors as director for the Gulf Coast Region (FY 2000-2001) and continued working on Society and section committees, as well as coordinating the Rodney D. Chipp Memorial Award judging.
While working full time leading the online learning management systems, Dr. Michko earned an Ed.D. in educational technology in 2007, performing a meta-analysis on the use of educational technology in engineering education. Since then, she has regularly peer reviewed annual conference presentations for the American Educational Research Association and the American Society for Engineering Education.
Dr. Michko retired from the University of Houston in 2018. A SWE life member since 2002, she is also a member of the Ada Pressman Society. She remains active on the SWE awards committee and in Houston Area Section activities, while also finding joy in watercolor painting.
