Meet our team
To assist city staff and policymakers in shaping the economic future of your city, our team at Sunstone Cities will bring a unique team of talented practitioners who have first-hand experience managing workforce, business, and real estate development programs at the state and local levels.
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
As a 20-year public servant, John has established the Economic Development Commission and delivered the first Economic Development Blueprint for the City of Long Beach. He also founded the non-profit Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP) to drive research, marketing, and business attraction, and structured a public-private-education partnership to establish the Long Beach Accelerator (LBA).
Additionally, John secured Federal workforce grants to create the Space Beach economic district and led technical studies for the renovation of the historic Queen Mary, building Sunstone and its partners to provide cities with strategies for economic growth and job creation.
Jayro Sandoval
Economic Development Officer
Jayro is an experienced community leader with a proven track record of bridging the gap between government and local stakeholders. He has worked with various agencies, businesses, and officials across multiple cities and brings excellent communication, organization, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills.
As a civic-minded individual, Jayro holds key positions in multiple organizations such as the City of Long Beach Economic Development Commission, Long Beach Economic Partnership, and the Arts Council for Long Beach. With his valuable experience in entrepreneurship, nonprofits, corporate, local, state, and federal government, Jayro brings a unique perspective to his work in business and economic development.
Ryan Phong
Associate Project Manager
Ryan holds a Master of Public Administration with a Certificate of Public Financial Management from the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy. Ryan is an Associate Project Manager at Sunstone Management, where he manages consulting contracts with local governments and researches government funding opportunities for Sunstone and its portfolio companies.
Ryan is committed to driving positive change through public-private partnerships and actively seeks to explore the intersectionality of economic development and venture capital..
Giselle Melendez-Cruz
Economic Development Fellow
Born and raised in South Los Angeles, Giselle Melendez-Cruz is currently pursuing her Master of Public Administration (MPA) at the University of Southern California, with a graduate certificate in City/County Management. She has served as an Operations Coordinator at Haven Neighborhood Services, where she managed nonprofit operations, coordinated key projects, and supported economic stability initiatives for marginalized communities across Los Angeles County.
Giselle’s professional journey also includes her role as Housing Access and Anti-Displacement Coordinator with the Watts Rising Collaborative, where she led community outreach, developed housing workshops, and connected residents to resources in collaboration with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. Her work directly impacted over 50 households by providing housing counseling, financial literacy, and eviction defense resources. With a strong commitment to economic and community development, Giselle is dedicated to improving the well-being of underserved communities like her own by promoting access to housing, financial empowerment, and sustainable economic growth. She believes that enhancing the economic quality of life for vulnerable populations is a collective social responsibility that can be achieved through strategic, high-quality services and by maximizing public-private partnerships to advance economic development efforts that create sustainable benefits for communities.
Jennifer Huang
Marketing & Communications Manager
Jennifer Huang is an accomplished Marketing and Communications Manager with extensive experience in developing and executing strategic marketing and communications plans that drive brand awareness and engagement. With a proven track record of leading successful campaigns, Jennifer excels in digital marketing, public relations, content creation, and media outreach. A UC Berkeley alum (go Bears!), Jennifer has honed her skills through hands-on experience, managing cross-functional teams, and collaborating with stakeholders to achieve organizational goals.
Jennifer is passionate about leveraging data-driven insights to optimize marketing efforts and deliver measurable results. Exceptional communication skills and a creative mindset enables Jennifer to craft compelling narratives that resonate with target audiences. Her keen understanding of market trends has consistently resulted in increased visibility and growth. As a dynamic and results-oriented professional, Jennifer is dedicated to driving innovation and excellence in all initiatives.
Harry Saltzgaver
Managing Editor
Harry served as executive editor of the Grunion Gazette, the Long Beach weekly newspaper, for 31 years. He won an award or two there, including being named national Journalist of the Year for non-dailies by the Gazette’s parent company, Digital First Media, in 2014. He has published two books — ‘Passionately Positive, The Beverly O’Neill Story’ and ‘20 Pounds of Salt in a 10-Pound Bag,” a compilation of his signature column, A Pinch of Salt.
He has served as president of the Public Corporation for the Arts, the Long Beach Recreation Commission and the Long Beach Water Commission, as well as three-year chair of Goodwill of Southern Los Angeles County. He currently is treasurer of the Grand Prix Foundation of Long Beach, president of the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center advisory council, and member for the Rancho Los Alamitos board of trustees and the Long Beach Salvation Army Red Shield.
Cindy Lin
Marketing Associate
Cindy completed a master’s degree in innovation and entrepreneurship at UC Irvine, where she is learning the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in this field, she has a background in business administration, with an exchange program at EDC Paris Business School, and experience in customer relationship management, social media marketing, and e-commerce. She believes that entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for creating positive change, and she is excited to apply her domain expertise and competencies to make an impact in the industry.