The County has 10 great Employee Resource Groups (ERG). They are each led by a respective board who all demonstrate commitment and stewardship of its members to the various sectors of our community.

Get to know Middle Eastern Employee Resource Group (MEERG) President Mehdi Khalili, a civil engineer for Public Works.

Q: How long have you worked for the County and what departments have you worked for?

A: I have worked for the Department of Public Works (DPW) for over five years since January 2017.

Q: What do you do in your role/what are your job responsibilities?

A: As a civil engineer in Flood Control section, I need to be versatile and wear many hats and handle any task that comes across my desk. Among other responsibilities, I do the following:

Serve as County’s Community Rating System (CRS) coordinator. The CRS is a FEMA incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program;
Serve as contracting officer representative for several contracts (over $15 million worth within the next five years) and manage projects that provide services to better help our residents;
Assist internal/external customers with flood control inquiries, complaints, data requests and Board of Supervisors referrals;
Design websites, support outreach efforts and cover DPW social media accounts;
Support and coordinate Flood Control District Advisory Commission (FCDAC) meetings;
Apply for federal grants and manage projects that provide a region that is building better health, living safely and thriving. Such projects include creek restorations, infrastructure improvements, updating the County Hydrology Manual, flood and fire risk mitigation, and erosion control during rain and fire;
Review private and public development plans, capital improvement projects, and hydraulic/hydrologic models for compliance with FEMA, state, local flood control regulations.

Many of my roles involve challenging collaborations with internal and external stakeholders and other local, state and federal government agencies.

Q: What’s your workplace superpower?

A: Appreciation is on top of my list of workplace superpowers. It’s amazing what we can achieve when we take the time to acknowledge and appreciate our many blessings. It gives me more courage and energy and helps me feel fulfilled. I compare it metaphorically to climbing a mountain. Although climbing is fun itself, it is much more joyful when we take the time to look around and enjoy the scenery. The key point is to find the balance between challenging myself to achieve new goals and appreciating what I have already achieved.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of work.

A: I love traveling, nature and learning new languages. I also enjoy exercising and hiking on San Diego’s many beautiful trails. Spending time with loved ones is on top of the list though.

Q: What are you passionate about?

A: Living here and now. I often direct my focus on cherishing every moment of my beautiful life and sharing it with those whom I love and who love me.

Q. What is the best advice you’ve received from a mentor?

A: I’ve had a great many mentors throughout my life, but the greatest mentor of all has been life itself. The best advice that life has taught me is to value myself, otherwise I expect no one else would.

Q: What are some resources that you find useful and recommend to others?

A: I love reading and San Diego County Library provides many e-books and audiobooks. I use the Libby app to enjoy reading/listening to many great books such as: “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” “A Beginner's Guide to America,” “Savushun,” “The Sum of Us, Covering: The Hidden Assault On Our Civil Rights,” and “Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It” (a book by our Board member Davinder Kaur).

Q: Tell us about your ERG.

A: The mission of MEERG is to enhance Middle Eastern cultural awareness, to share the Middle East’s rich and diverse history and cultural contributions to the world, and to contribute to principles of cross cultural dialogue and understanding.

Q: Why are ERGs important?

A: Understanding everyone and valuing their roots enforces a sense of belonging and encourages all to be better and support one another. MEERG works closely with other ERGs. I am a member of all ERGs and truly believe in being inclusive and spreading love for all.

Q: What is your ERG looking forward to this year?

A: With the support of our Executive Sponsor Sarah Aghassi, we have been building good momentum after the pandemic hiccup. Some of our recent events included Norouz Proclamation, National Arab American Heritage Month and several book clubs in collaboration with CSDFEA. Our current board members complete their term in December 2022. We are working on succession planning and hope to get more members and future board members while planning more fun events.