Josh Keats
Josh Keats hails from Louisville and earned a bachelor’s
degree in emergency medical care from Eastern Kentucky University. He has deep
roots in the first responder community, having served as a paramedic and
firefighter at various posts in Jefferson County for more than a decade.
In 2009, Keats began his service as a Special Agent in
the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. 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, Josh 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.