John P. Keisler
John’s connection to Long Beach is not a quip from the hallways of history — it starts in 1948 when his grandparents, Bob and Betty Keisler, got married and moved to East 56th Street at Orange in North Long Beach (all the way from Grafton, Ohio). His dad was born and raised in Long Beach as well, and met his mother here when they were in high school at Jordan and Millikan. This rich history that’s embedded in the city has not left him, for he lives in Long Beach like the Keislers that came before with his beautiful wife Laura and his two sons Christopher and Benjamin.
It is partly this deeply imbued sense of connection with Long Beach that explains his appointment as Business Operations Manager for the City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine in June of last year. His duties include providing management for the Department’s 1,400 employees, $50 million annual operating budget, 300 contracts, and marketing and communications division. Prior to this appointment, he spent three years as the Director of Animal Care Services, and time with both the offices of Budget and the City Manager.
John’s career path includes a lifetime of public service. After completing bachelor degrees in Philosophy and Religion at St. Olaf College, he joined Teach For America as a middle school teacher at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey. In 2001, he received the distinction of “Best Practices Award” for a first year teacher in the Newark Public School District.