John Keller

Background

About John Keller

As an agile and collaborative leader with 20 years of experience, I expertly develop, refine, and drive complex strategic plans with real-world impact. By combining my political skills, policy expertise, and managerial know-how, I successfully solve problems and create meaningful change. I astutely identify opportunities to improve organizations and deliver results with experience in managing campaigns and government budgets. My communication and interpersonal skills enable me to forge productive teams and build effective coalitions. Key Accomplishments — Successfully ran a political operation in 2022 for Michigan United/Michigan People's campaign that helped flip the Michigan House and Senate, by targeting districts with mail, phone calls, and paid and volunteer canvasses. — As Chief of Staff for Cook County, built a long-term operations plan for the second-largest county in the United States that substantially improved the county’s fiscal position, while promoting regional economic growth and inclusion of diverse communities. — Managed a $5.2B budget and oversaw operations for employees. Reduced long-term labor costs by ~$90M, with ~$20M of that coming from an agreement with the sheriff department union to change overtime rules. — As Cook County Director of External Affairs, created and executed a strategy to pass a tax plan that raised $200M in annual revenue to expand health care to the underserved, support programs to combat gun violence, and preserve other vital staff and services.