Keith Gardner is President of KJG Strategies, a government affairs, lobbying, and consulting firm located in New Mexico. KJG Strategies advises a variety clients on business development, strategic positioning and alignment with executive, legislative, and regulatory agencies. He has worked extensively on water as well as oil and gas issues throughout his public service and continues this work advocating on behalf of Select Energy, Inc. and other energy clients.
After getting his degree in Athletic Training Education, Keith became the managing partner of an outpatient physical therapy/sports medicine clinic in Roswell, NM. While growing the business and interacting with state government he became interested in politics and serving to improve business climate in NM.
In 2004 Keith was elected to the NM House of Representatives. In 2008 he was elected by his colleagues to serve as the House Minority Whip. During his time in the Legislature he worked on a variety of issues including government transparency, pro-business initiatives, and health care reform. Having served in the minority throughout his career, Keith worked with both sides of the aisle in order to successfully pass legislation.
In January 2011, after successfully being elected to a fourth term in the NM House, Keith was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez to be her Chief of Staff. Keith served in that role during all 8 years of her administration. In addition to the normal day to day duties as COS, he had direct oversight on procurement reform, rewriting of the State’s Medicaid waiver program, tax reform, improving government efficiency, and balancing the state budget. During his time as the Chief of Staff he represented the Governor and the State to a variety of regional and national organizations and worked with Chiefs across the country. Some of these organizations include the National Governors Association, Western Governors Association, Republican Governors Association, Border Governors Conference, the NM-Sonora Commission, and the NM -Chihuahua Commission.
