Michalenko, Johanna (1910-)

Johanna Michalenko was a home economist, and a leader in both Ukrainian and mainstream organizations. Born in Edmonton in 1910 to Ukrainian immigrant parents, she graduated from normal school in 1929 and taught for several years. She obtained a BSc in Home Economics from the University of Alberta (1936), and studied at the University of Washington. Michalenko became a lecturer in the Faculty of Home Economics at the University of Alberta (among the first Ukrainian Canadian women to lecture at a university). In 1940 she moved to Saskatoon when her husband, Andrew, was appointed to the Engineering Faculty, University of Saskatchewan. She became an adult education instructor in interior design. During the 1970s she was a member of the Standards Council of Canada (to facilitate standards in domestic and international trade). Active in several organizations, Michalenko held leadership positions in the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada, the Consumers' Association of Canada, and the Saskatoon Council of Women. Especially active in the Canadian Federation of University Women, she was a delegate to two International Federation of University Women's triennial conferences, and attended two others. In 1972, she attended the United Nations Commission on Status of Women and Human Rights in Geneva. Johanna Michalenko, who now lives in Edmonton, has a son and daughter.

Natalie Ostryzniuk

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