Key Staff

Kelli Furtado is Mayor Dyer’s Chief of Staff. In this role, she is responsible for supporting Mayor Dyer’s One Fresno vision, navigating a variety of policy priorities, all focused on ensuring efficiencies, sustaining momentum, and accomplishing the Administration’s initiatives. She also serves as a liaison to the City Council, her colleagues, and various community stakeholders. Kelli brings a diverse and entrepreneurial background to Mayor Dyer’s office, including more than a decade of previous public service with the City of Fresno. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Swearengin, and then as an Assistant Director in the Planning Department. Prior to joining the Dyer Administration, Kelli was Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Fresno Housing Authority. In addition to her public sector service, Kelli has served as the Chief Operating Officer for a local business incubator and played a key role in the development of the Water and Energy Technology (WET) Incubator located at Fresno State, where she was also the Associate Director of the Office of Community and Economic Development. Kelli is deeply committed to ongoing professional development and has earned several certificates in relevant industries including the Center for Community Progress at Harvard Law, the James Irvine Foundation New Leadership Network, the California Association for Code Enforcement Officers, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and the Housing Policy Leadership Academy. A Fresno native, Kelli had an adventurous and entrepreneurial upbringing throughout the western states before returning to the area, where she resides with her family.

Chris Montelongo plays a role in advancing Mayor Dyer’s One Fresno vision. This includes supporting and assisting the Chief of Staff with various citywide projects and initiatives. As part of the Mayor’s priority to provide rental assistance, Chris helped develop the City’s now completed Emergency Rental Assistance Program which provided over $46 million in rent and utility payments for nearly 6,000 Fresno households impacted by the pandemic. Chris also leads efforts related to Mayoral appointments to various City Boards and Commissions and outside boards where the City makes appointments. Prior to joining Mayor Dyer’s team, Chris served 19 years with the City of Fresno’s Code Enforcement/Community Revitalization Division. In that job, he was responsible for working on highly complex land-use matters, Downtown/Neighborhood Revitalization efforts, and played a key role on the City’s first Rental Housing Inspection Program. For over twenty years, Chris has served on various civic and faith-based organizations. He is also a graduate of the San Joaquin Political Academy. Chris serves as a California Chapter Director of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), the largest Hispanic Christian organization in the country representing more than 42,000 churches. He also has worked closely with Presidential Advisors and members of Congress on legislation relating to the issues of life, religious liberty, biblical justice, housing, and comprehensive immigration reform. In 2019, Chris collaborated with several California community-based organizations as plaintiffs in a successful lawsuit of the National Mortgage Special Deposit Fund, returning $331 million to California distressed homeowners and renters. Chris is married and enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. In his free time, Chris mentors and advises a local professional boxer, loves baseball, boxing, hunting, fishing, and golf.

Joining the City of Fresno in 2023, Jordan Sanchez is responsible for helping implement Mayor Dyer’s “One Fresno” vision, including a key initiative – revitalizing Downtown Fresno and Chinatown. Her association with Downtown Fresno began with a Fresno Grizzlies job that led to a coveted position with the New York Yankees and several other entrepreneurial ventures before Jordan changed her career path and ultimately returned to Fresno. Prior to joining the City of Fresno, she gained experience with several tech-related and start-up ventures. Jordan has a deep commitment to equitably revitalizing Downtown Fresno. She was previously involved in various community organizations, including serving as a Lowell Community Development Corporation board member, and Chair of the Downtown Fresno Foundation. She also played a role in Fresno’s Transformative Climate Communities’ Outreach and Oversight Committee. A mother of three, Jordan finds immense joy in raising her family in the heart of Downtown Fresno. She is also an ardent supporter of Fresno’s local photography community.

John Ellis is responsible for working with the City of Fresno’s contract lobbyists in Sacramento and Washington DC, as well as serving as a liaison between the City and local elected officials and their staffs, as well as area governmental and non-governmental agencies. He also assists Mayor Dyer as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Big City Mayors, an ad hoc group comprised of mayors from the State’s 13 largest cities. John joined the City in 2017 after more than 30 years as a journalist, working at newspapers in Oroville CA, Philadelphia, Gary IN, and Wichita KS before joining The Fresno Bee in 2000 as the paper’s political writer. In 17 years at The Bee, John covered Fresno’s local political scene, as well as state and national political conventions and state and federal governments, including California Governors Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jerry Brown, and Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. He also covered state and federal courts. John is a graduate of California State University, Chico, earning a BA in Information and Communication Studies. He is married and has two children, and besides a deep love of baseball, has a lifelong passion for travel, visiting 49 of 50 states and close to 60 countries on five continents.

Krystal Rios joined the Dyer Administration in 2022, following an 18-year career at a local behavioral health provider. There she served as the administrative assistant to the Regional Executive Director and provided high level administrative support to other directors on the leadership team. Krystal’s role included assisting with managing tasks and projects, organizing annual regional activities such as Thanksgiving food box drives and Christmas gift drives to benefit children and families who would otherwise go without Providing executive administrative and clerical support within the Mayor’s Office, Krystal’s precise attention to detail, consistent follow-through and exemplary organizational skills ensure tasks are completed accurately and on time. Krystal’s work in the mental health field built a strong sense of empathy for others and strengthened her interpersonal skills. She is passionate about helping others and serving our community. Krystal is married and has a blended family of five adult children and one grandbaby. She is an avid reader who enjoys a hot cup of coffee with her book and cuddling up with her two Boxer dogs.