Karen Ruth Keesling (b. 1946) was the United States Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) from 1988 to 1989.
Karen R. Keesling was born in Wichita, Kansas on July 9, 1946.[1] She was educated at Arizona State University, receiving a B.A. in 1968 and an M.A. in 1970.[2]
Keesling was Assistant Dean of Women at the University of Kansas for 1971-72.[3] From 1972 to 1975, Keesling worked in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as executive secretary of the Secretary's Advisory Commission on Rights and Responsibilities of Women.[4] From 1975 to 1977, she was Director of the White House Office of Women. She was then a women's rights analyst in the Library of Congress's Civil Rights Division.[5] She then attended the Georgetown University Law Center, receiving her J.D. in 1981. From 1979 to 1981, she was also a legislative aide of Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R–Kan.)[6]
In 1981, Keesling joined the United States Department of the Air Force, serving as Deputy for Equal Opportunity and Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, 1981-82; as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower Resources and Military Personnel, 1982-83; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, and Installations, 1983-87; and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Readiness Support, 1987-89.[7]
On September 7, 1988, President of the United States George H. W. Bush nominated Keesling to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs).[8] She held this position until 1989.[9]
In the early 1990s, she joined the United States Department of Labor's, serving as Acting Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division.[10]
She moved to Sun City, Arizona in 2000 and has practiced law there since.[11]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tidal W. McCoy |
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) 1988 – 1989 |
Succeeded by Jerome G. Cooper |