A hiring decision by the Iowa Department of Corrections is raising questions after state records revealed a newly hired employee had been practicing without a valid license.
According to the Iowa Board of Behavioral Professionals, Keith R. Keller of southeast Iowa was originally licensed as a master’s-level social worker in 2015, but his license expired in December of 2022.
In August of 2023, the board received a complaint about Keller. A follow-up investigation in 2024 found that Keller was allegedly being promoted by an employer as a licensed social worker, despite his expired license.
Records show Keller later acknowledged the issue, telling investigators he was concerned about passing the required exam to renew his license. He then stopped communicating with the board.
In May of 2025, Keller was formally charged with falsely representing himself as licensed, practicing with an expired license, and failing to cooperate with the investigation.
A hearing was held in January of this year, which Keller did not attend. The board found him guilty on all counts and issued a suspension of his already expired license for at least 90 days.
However, state records show that just weeks before that suspension took effect, and while the charges were still pending, Keller was hired as a community corrections program coordinator for the Eighth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services. The Eighth Judicial District covers 14 Southeast Iowa counties including Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Louisa, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington.
In a Facebook post announcing the hire, the department described Keller as an Iowa-licensed master social worker and highlighted his background in substance abuse and mental health counseling.
Attempts to reach Keller and Department of Corrections officials for comment were unsuccessful.
The situation may be tied to delays in the public release of disciplinary actions. Records show the charges against Keller were approved in May of 2025 but were not made public until late October.
Those delays have been an ongoing issue since the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing took over administration of licensing boards in 2023.