Keith joined Saskatchewan’s public service in 1979—he was one of the first 13 people hired to staff the two new provincial correctional centres planned for Saskatoon and Prince Albert.  His career included many years of direct community development work and stints as the province’s lead on the cultural industries file, as manager of Municipal Affairs Legislation and Regulation, and as Executive Director of Strategy and Sector Relations. 

Keith spent the last 8 years of his public service as Assistant Deputy Minister of Government Relations, and was responsible for Community Planning, Northern Municipal Services, Municipal Infrastructure and Finance, and Advisory Services and Municipal Relations.  Key major projects of the Division included the administration of over $250M in revenue sharing funding and coordinating municipal participation in infrastructure funding programs like the New Building Canada Fund and the Investing in Canada Plan.