2025 USC CMF Summit & Sunstone Challenge Final Pitch
The Sunstone Economic Development Challenge @ USC Price partners USC public policy students with local governments to develop strategies to promote inclusive growth in their communities. Student teams collaborate with client cities to attract and retain small businesses and support job creation. The final pitches will be presented to a panel of judges at the USC CMF Summit & Sunstone Challenge Final Pitch and winning teams will receive prizes.
3rd-Year Client Cities:
City of Carson
City of Cypress
City of Glendora
Nevada City
City of Santa Clarita
Prizes
1st Place Team: $5,000
2nd Place Team: $3,000
3rd Place Team: $1,500
Event Agenda (subject to change):
9:00AM – 9:50AM
Check-in and Morning Refreshments (doors open at 9:00AM)
09:50AM - 10:00AM
USC Welcome Speech
Speaker: Dean Christopher Boone
10:00AM - 10:10AM
Overview of USC Price & Sunstone Partnership
Speaker: Dr. Shui Yan Tang, Chair of the Department of Public Policy and Management
10:10AM - 10:20AM
Overview of Sunstone Cities & Sunstone Challenge
Speaker: John Keisler, CEO & Managing Partner, Sunstone Cities & USC CMF Treasurer
10:20AM - 10:30AM
Keynote Speaker
10:30AM - 11:45AM
Live Pitches by USC Price Student Consulting Teams
11:45PM - 12:30PM
Lunch Provided.
12:30PM - 12:45PM
USC City/County Management Fellowship Update & Dr. Tang Award
Speaker: Peter Castro, Deputy City Manager, City of Rancho Cucamonga & USC CMF Chair
12:45PM - 1:00PM
Sunstone Challenge Awards
Press Release: https://www.sunstoneinvestment.com/news/five-partner-cities-chosen-for-sunstone-economic-development-challenge-at-usc/
Challenge Website: https://sites.usc.edu/sunstone-price-challenge/
Client City Interest Form: https://us12.list-manage.com/survey?u=2fd77d6c079360825b35bcbcd&id=e4956240a6&attribution=false
Challenge Partners: Sunstone Cities, Sunstone Community Fund, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, USC City/County Management Fellowship
Sponsored By: ArroyoWest
Contact for Any Questions:
Program Advisor: Ryan Phong, Associate Project Manager, Sunstone Cities (ryan.phong@sunstonecities.com)
Program Lead: Giselle Melendez Cruz, Economic Development Fellow, Sunstone Cities (giselle.melendez-cruz@sunstonecities.com)
Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact [Lucia Saavedra: luciasaa@usc.edu ]. We request that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least 7 days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.