Mike Kobe
August 13, 2025 | By Shoal Creek Conservancy
Mike Kobe grew up in Tyler, where he would roam the woods and creeks of East Texas. He is a graduate of Austin College (Sherman, TX) and has a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M. He has worked in Austin in the semiconductor industry as a circuit designer and CAD manager since 1989. After 20 years at Motorola, he joined Cirrus Logic in 2009. After raising their kids in the country around Dripping Springs, he and his wife, Karen, moved downtown near Shoal Creek in 2012, looking for a new adventure. There he fell in love with the creek and walks the trail daily on his way to work.
At Cirrus Logic, he is the Austin leader of CLEAN (Cirrus Logic Environmental Action Network). In this volunteer role, he helps organize cleanups, tree plantings, e-waste recycling, and environmental presentations for the company. He also led the adoption of Shoal Creek from 9th to 5th Street, which borders Cirrus Logic HQ. In addition to the monthly Shoal Creek cleanup with CLEAN, he leads a monthly Creekside Neighbors cleanup that involves the downtown condos and focuses on Shoal Creek from 5th to 2nd Street. His goal is to make Shoal Creek the cleanest creek in the city and an example of what the waterways should be. In addition to the creek, he loves fishing, camping, and gardening. He is the compost coordinator at Deep Eddy Community Garden, and recently restarted the St Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church Garden club.
