BURLINGTON, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – The Iowa Department of Corrections recently hired an unlicensed mental health counselor despite the man facing a set of disciplinary charges for practicing three years without a license.
State records show that in February 2015, the Iowa Board of Behavioral Professionals awarded a social work masters’ level license to Keith R. Keller of southeast Iowa. In August 2023, the board says, it fielded a complaint of an undisclosed nature about Keller, whose license had expired in December 2022.
One year later, in August 2024, a board investigator followed up on the complaint by checking the website of Keller’s employer, who has not been publicly identified by the board. The board alleges the organization was promoting Keller as a licensed social worker specializing in therapy related to individuals, couples, adolescents and substance abuse.
According to the board, Keller didn’t respond to initial inquiries about practicing without a license, but on Sept. 3, 2024, he allegedly acknowledged the issue and explained to a board investigator that he was concerned about his ability to pass an examination for licensure.
Keller then stopped communicating with the board, which meant the board investigator “was unable to gather any information regarding the original 2023 complaint,” the board alleges. In May 2025, the board charged Keller with falsely representing himself as a licensed social worker, practicing with an expired license, and failing to cooperate with a board investigation.
On Jan. 5, 2026, the board held a hearing on the matter, which Keller failed to attend. Last month, the board determined Keller was guilty of all three charges and voted to suspend his still-expired license for at least 90 days. No other sanctions or penalties were imposed.
State records indicate that two weeks before the suspension took effect, while the charges were still pending, the Eighth Judicial District’s Department of Correctional Services hired Keller as its new community corrections program coordinator.
According to the department’s Facebook post announcing the hiring, Keller “is an Iowa-licensed master social worker.” The department credited Keller with a “strong background in both service and care, including prior service in the United States Army and extensive experience as a substance abuse and mental health counselor.”
The Facebook post also indicated that prior to joining state government, Keller “worked for many years at Counseling Associates in the Keokuk/Fort Madison area, where he partnered closely with the Fort Madison Drug Court and supported justice-involved individuals.”
Calls to Keller’s state office in Burlington were not returned Tuesday. Keller’s supervisor, Kurt Rosenberg, and the Department of Corrections’ media contact did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment on the matter.
It’s possible that the licensing board’s five-month delay in publicly announcing the disciplinary charges against Keller contributed to his hiring by the state. Board records show the charges were approved by the board on May 27, 2025, but were not announced or published online until Oct. 30, 2025.
Since the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing took over the administration of the state’s licensing boards in 2023, there have been lengthy delays between the boards taking action in a case and DIAL’s public disclosure of that action. In some cases, those delays have been as long as eight months.
DIAL has referred questions on the delays to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office which has, in turn, referred all questions about the issue back to DIAL.
The Iowa Department of Corrections oversees eight Judicial District Departments of Correctional Services that provide community-based corrections across Iowa. Each district operates independently under the accreditation and funding of the DOC.
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