Campbellsville University

Director of Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to speak at CU’s first KHIPP of 2021 fall semester

Director of Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to speak at CU’s first KHIPP of 2021 fall semester

By Alexandria D. Dalton | 09/02/2021

Director of Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to speak at CU’s first KHIPP of 2021 fall semester

By Alexandria D. Dalton, communications and projects manager, Office of University Communications

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Josh Keats, director of Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, will be presenting at Campbellsville University's Kentucky Heartland Institute on Public Policy (KHIPP) event at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7.

The hour-long event will be live-streamed on Facebook at https://fb.me/e/2qumNiDjl.

His presentation is titled “A 20-Year Retrospective:  The Effect of 9/11 on U.S. Policy.”

Keats is from Louisville, Ky. and earned a bachelor's degree in emergency medical care from Eastern Kentucky University. He served as a paramedic and firefighter at various posts in Jefferson County for over 10 years.

According to the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security website, Keats began his service as a special agent in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security in 2009. As a special agent, Keats oversaw complex international investigations into U.S. passport fraud, visa fraud, as well as identity theft and human trafficking violations.

His U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) career led him around the world, performing protection assignments with Secretary Hillary Clinton and Secretary John Kerry. Other notable clients served in an executive protection role include the Dalai Lama, Jordan's Queen Rania, Prince William and Prince Harry of the British royal family, several heads of NATO and many other high-ranking U.S. and foreign government officials.

Keats spent more than seven years working in high-threat environments, including two-and-a-half years in Iraq. He has received numerous awards for outstanding investigative and leadership accomplishments, as well as an award for saving the life of a colleague in Iraq.

Before being appointed KOHS executive director, Keats served as a detective for the Kentucky Attorney General's office, where his primary function was to perform executive protection and threat assessments for the sitting attorney general.

The presentation will include a panel discussion featuring Keats and Dr. Josiah Marineau, associate professor of political science at Campbellsville University.

For more information about KHIPP events, contact Dr. Shawn Williams, professor of political science, at shwilliams@campbellsville.edu.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 12,500 students offering over 100 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.