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Margo Oge ’72, M.Eng. ’78 arrived at Lowell Tech knowing little English, fresh from an all-girl high school in Greece. Unprepared to be one of only three female students in the Plastics Engineering Department, she freely admits to repeating some courses before fully understanding them.
The most valuable lessons she learned, however, did not come from a textbook.
“I learned to be resilient, never give up, and I learned to believe in myself,” she said. “I also remember the unending support I received from my professors in the plastics department.”
Now 30 years later, she is director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the Environmental Protection Agency, fighting for a cleaner environment, including cleaner air and more fuel efficient automobiles. She has been with the EPA since 1980, where she has held various management positions. She also served as legislative aide to Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island.
Oge spoke as part of the Senior Executive Forum Series, sponsored by the Office of University Advancement. The forum offers students and faculty a unique opportunity to engage in informal discussion with accomplished executives.
Oge encouraged the students in the audience to consider a career in public health. “You can make a huge difference in the lives of people. We have a responsibility to leave this planet a better place for future generations,” she said.
Under Oge’s direction, the EPA has finalized three programs that are expected to eliminate 90 percent of harmful pollutants emitted from motor vehicles. Cars are 99 percent cleaner than in 1970, Oge said, but increasing the average gas mileage by five miles per gallon could eliminate the need for all the oil the U.S. currently imports from Saudi Arabia.
“There is no question among experts that there is a warming of our climate and there are consequences to that warming. We know burning fuel contributes to that warming,” she said. “When we talk about mobility, we want to talk about sustainable mobility—a way to move people across the planet without using it up.”
One possible strategy for encouraging U.S. consumers to buy hybrid or other fuel efficient cars is to raise the gas tax, as Europe does. Gas prices would need to increase by $1.50 to $1.75 to make a difference in consumers’ attitudes, she said.
Oge, like other speakers in the series, offered career advice to the audience of students, faculty and staff: Don’t be intimidated by failure; don’t shy away from change; don’t be intimidated by the experts; when you have power, remember you can’t do it yourself—share your success; and enthusiasm is a “forceful multiplier.”