Headshot of female presenting person with long brown hair white blouse and navy blazer

Keisha N. Keith

MSW ’15

MA, MSW ’15, LGSW

2025 Milestone Achievement Award Recipient

U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Services

Keisha N. Keith is a seasoned advocate, licensed social worker, and policy generalist with more than 25 years of impact across the education, housing, violence prevention, and criminal justice sectors. Her career is marked by a deep commitment to public service and a powerful legacy of survivor-centered advocacy.

Keisha began her journey in victim advocacy in 1994 as a resident aide at a domestic violence shelter. That early experience—and her training through the U.S. Department of Justice National Victim Assistance Academy in 2000—propelled her into a lifelong mission to serve and support survivors of violence. She has held roles as a court advocate, hospital crisis responder, and director of a shelter for women and children, while contributing to national efforts through state coalitions and a survivor speakers bureau.

A 2015 graduate of the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, Keisha also holds a Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Science from Wright State University and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice from Central State University. While at the Crown Family School, she served as Student Government Elections Chair, launched the student group B.O.L.D. (Building Opportunities for Learning Differences), and actively engaged with the Institute of Politics.

Keisha’s public service trajectory includes a pivotal transition to Washington, D.C., where she served as a law clerk in the Office of the General Counsel within the Executive Office of the President during the Obama Administration. Her career has since spanned roles at Children’s National Hospital, Howard University, the DC Department of Corrections, and the DC Metropolitan Police Department, where she supervised the Victim Specialist and Major Crimes Unit.

Now serving within the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Services, Keisha continues her mission to influence policy, enhance programs, support service providers, and empower survivors. Her work is grounded in lived experience, resilience, and a steadfast belief in justice and healing.