Melissa Meisgeier Noriega is a candidate for Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) Board of Directors, Place 2, on Saturday, May 4. Early vote starts April 22 through April 30, 2024.
Melissa is a public servant and former elected official, having stood as an at-large Houston City Council Member and as Texas State Representative for District 145.
She retired as Manager of Professional Development & Leadership Training from Houston ISD after winning a run-off election for City Council in June, 2007. As an educator, she served as staff assistant to four deputy superintendents, as well as leadership roles in community engagement, research & evaluation, and professional development and leadership.
Melissa served the three terms allowed at the time by term limits as an at-large member of Houston City Council. She chaired the Public Safety committee, and the Infrastructure, Transportation & Technology committee; co-chaired the 2010 Census Complete Count Committee, and co-chaired the City Bond Election Campaign (2012).
She is active on the Board w New Hope Housing, is former VP of her SuperNeighborhood, and is former Chair of the East End Foundation, a cultural arts district partner in the East End. She is on the Board of YourHouston, a non-partisan quality of life non-profit. She remains deeply involved in her neighborhood, having chaired the local Eastwood Civic Association and the local CDC. She is a member of Christ Church Cathedral, Episcopal, in downtown Houston.
After Council, Melissa served as Vice President of Policy & Partnerships at BakerRipley, formerly Neighborhood Centers (NCI). BakerRipley, one of the largest non-profits in Texas, includes centers such as Ripley House, and programs including HeadStart and Workforce Solutions across the Houston region.
BakerRipley opened the NRG shelter after Hurricane Harvey in 2017; Ms. Noriega was intensely involved in both the immediate shelter response and larger regional recovery, including the Long-Term Recovery Committee (United Way & Harris Co) and the Neighborhood Restoration Strategy Group (City of Houston).
Melissa first considered a political career after a year in the Texas House (2005, 79th Legislature), as the first to serve under the provision of an amendment to the Texas Constitution approved in 2003, allowing a substitute legislator to be named as a stand-in for an elected legislator at war. She served on Defense Affairs & Homeland Security, and the Corrections committees, and was named Freshman of the Year by the Democratic Caucus.
Ms. Noriega received her undergrad BS & her MEd from University of Houston, was awarded the UH Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017, and received the Human Relations Award from the Houston American Jewish Committee for her work at the George R. Brown shelter after Hurricane Katrina in 2006.