The National Television Academy has honored Mitchko with the first-ever Emmy Award for outstanding achievement in advanced media technology for the creation of non-traditional programs or platforms. Mitchko, vice president for interactive platform development at Cablevision Systems Corp., and her colleagues were recognized for their work developing technology behind digital television delivery systems, including Video on Demand and interactive television with broadcast components.

Prior to joining Cablevision in 1997, Mitchko was president and CEO of IRT Inc., a consulting company that worked on a variety of product development projects, including electric vehicle prototyping for LILCO and personalized energy systems research for Allied Energy Corp. Previously, Mitchko spent five years running the electronic warfare division of Digital Signal Corporation, where she developed kill-assessment technology for the U.S. Navy and Air Force and held a top-secret clearance.

Mitchko earned a bachelors in electrical engineering from Polytechnic University in 1987.