Her friends know her as a rocket scientist, the community as former School Board President, and her family as a devoted mother; now Nooshin Meshkaty has her eyes set on a new title— City Council member.
The longtime Beverly Hills resident launched her campaign this week and is hoping that her technological expertise and impressive record of community leadership will set her apart in a crowded field of candidates.
“My whole reason for running is to be able to do more for the community,” she told the Courier. “I want to do as much as I can to resolve issues and concerns that community members have and bring a vision to take us in line with 21st-century technologies.”
Meshkaty works as an Instrument Electronics Engineering Manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she oversees 22 team members. She believes her sharp mind is well suited to advancing key goals for the city such as enhancing public safety, supporting local businesses and fostering a culture of innovation.
“When you learn to have critical thinking and an analytical mind it becomes a way of life,” she said. “It becomes routine for you to think outside the box and be able to come up with solutions that people in different areas of work may not be able to.”
“I think that’s one area that sets me apart.”
Meshkaty demonstrated her technology forward mindset while serving on BHUSD School Board from 2005 to 2009. During this time, she spearheaded an effort to bring Wi-Fi to all campuses and volunteered her time on the weekend to help teachers learn to use computers.
Fast forward over a decade and technology has advanced immensely, but Meshkaty is still committed to leveraging the latest developments to serve the community.
“As artificial intelligence is growing and technology is changing day-to-day, our priorities remain safety and security, community building, improving our education and increasing sustainability,” she said. “We can do so much more to advance all of that by embracing technology.”
In addition to serving as School Board President, Meshkaty has held leadership positions on the Traffic and Parking Commission, GIRL Inc., Board of Directors, Farhang Foundation and Visionary Women Circle. She has also completed the Beverly Hills Police Department Citizen Police Academy and is a Team Beverly Hills alumna.
She prides herself on her track record of rapidly implementing solutions. For example, while serving on the Traffic and Parking Commission she advocated to install temporary traffic safety cones at a dangerous intersection when the city said it would take months to study the problem and implement permanent traffic calming measures.
“When I was serving on the commission, if someone came forward with a legitimate safety concern, I made sure that we responded to them in the quickest way possible,” she said.
Meshkaty seeks to bring this flexible problem-solving mindset to City Council and ensure that bureaucratic processes don’t hinder the speed of solutions.
She also plans to bring her tenacity and willpower, which she has honed through accomplishments like running seven marathons and overcoming major challenges such as breast cancer.
“I always try to make people understand that we become stronger by facing the problems in our way,” she said. “We must be resilient when facing problems or diseases and not give into it.”
“That has really become my attitude in dealing with life in general.”
In addition to her resilience, Meshkaty credits her strong community of friends and family for carrying her through her battle with breast cancer. Now, this same community is encouraging her to run for council.
Meshkaty has had a fierce love for Beverly Hills since she moved to the city from Iran at age 15. She graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1979 and, alongside her husband Yar Meshkaty, watched with pride as her three children passed through the BHUSD system.
If elected, she seeks to help usher in the next generation of leaders and ensure the city remains appealing to its younger population.
