Dr. Russell Keen
President
Augusta University
A Georgia native, Russell Keen has worked within the University System of Georgia for over 22 years. Before being named president of Augusta University in June 2024, he served as executive vice president for administration and, previously, chief of staff to the president. In the executive VP role, Keen managed the university’s budget of more than $1 billion, managed and coordinated its executive vice presidents and served as head administrator in the president’s absence.
From 2001 until 2015, Keen worked at Georgia Southern, where he advanced from director of annual giving to vice president for external affairs. In these university advancement roles, he secured hundreds of millions of dollars in university funding from individual fundraising campaigns and state and federal grants. His roles included vice president of governmental relations and community engagement, where he developed relationships with local, state and federal officials to enhance the success of the university and its advocacy efforts. He previously worked as the major gifts officer at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia.
Outside of his university work, Keen serves the community as a member of several boards, including the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Rotary Club of Augusta and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as a lead teacher at the Augusta Men’s Forum.
Keen is a first-generation college student with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an M.Ed. in higher education administration from Georgia Southern. He earned an Ed.D. in higher education management from UGA in 2019. His family has been a part of the Augusta community for generations. Growing up in the Central Savannah River Area, he attended Columbia County public schools from kindergarten through high school.
Keen and his wife, Karen, have two children, Kaleigh and Brinson, who are both proudly enrolled at universities within the University System of Georgia.
