Her Story
About Annette
Annette Micho is a Senior Community Manager at Goodwin & Company, where she has spent the past five years overseeing a portfolio of homeowners association communities in the Austin, Texas area. With eighteen years of experience in property management since entering the field in 2008, she has built a career spanning residential, commercial, and community association management. Her path includes tenure as a Commercial Property Manager and Vice President of Operations at Ogle Properties, a role as Community Manager with FirstService Residential, and ownership of her own maintenance services company, which she operated for nearly two years before selling it. For the last seven years, her professional focus has centered specifically on HOA management, an area where she has developed deep expertise in navigating the unique operational and interpersonal demands of community governance.
Annette holds an associate's degree along with a Real Estate License and is a Certified Community Manager, Certified Apartment Manager, and Certified Customer Service Specialist. She is an active member of the Community Association Institute, and her dedication to her craft has been recognized with six professional awards throughout her career, including three separate Community Manager of the Year honors. She credits her achievements to relentless hard work and determination, and she continues to set her sights on eventually earning a seat on an executive leadership team. Beyond her technical qualifications, she brings a grounded philosophy to her work, believing that the fundamentals of contract and property management translate seamlessly across apartments, residential, commercial, and HOA sectors alike, which she sees as a source of tremendous opportunity for those entering the field.
Outside the office, Annette channels her energy into her two children, having spent years immersed in FFA livestock projects with her eldest and countless weekends at basketball tournaments and honors band performances with her youngest. An avid fan of live sports, she has traveled with her family to games in cities like Chicago and San Antonio, and she also devotes time to community and animal welfare causes, regularly donating to the SPCA and volunteering with animals. A believer in integrity and honesty above all else, she candidly acknowledges that truthfulness can be the hardest value to uphold in an industry where trust is often tested, yet it remains the principle she holds most closely in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Annette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to hard work and determination. I'm committed to continuing to grow in my career, with the goal of one day serving on an executive team.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received is simply not to give up. There will be difficult moments, and progress takes time, but staying patient and persistent makes all the difference.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to keep your head up and never give up, because this is a genuinely tough industry. You will face setbacks, and at my company in particular, it's very male-dominated — I'm currently the only woman on our executive team. Since this work involves being deeply involved in people's homes and lives, it's also important to take time for yourself along the way.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge I face is the emotional toll this job can take, particularly the amount of negativity and pushback we sometimes receive from HOA communities. On the opportunity side, I believe property management is a highly transferable skill set — once you understand how to manage one type of contract, you can apply that knowledge across apartments, residential, commercial, and HOA management. That versatility opens doors across the entire field.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity and truthfulness matter most to me. Being truthful is often the hardest part, especially in an industry where not everyone deals honestly with you, but it's a value I hold onto in both my work and personal life.
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