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Associate Dean of Leadership and retired Army LTG Ken Keen led the relief efforts after the Haitian earthquake in 2010. What are the comparisons and/or shortfalls with the current efforts after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico? Source:
Ken Keen
Associate Professor Emeritus in the Practice of Organization & Management Emory University, Goizueta Business School
- Atlanta GA
Emory University, Goizueta Business School
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Biography
Lieutenant General (Ret) P. K. (Ken) Keen is a native of Hyden, Kentucky. LTG (Ret) Keen is currently the Associate Dean of Leadership Development and a faculty member in Organization and Management for Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in Atlanta, Georgia. In this role, he manages a school-wide leadership development program for the MBA programs, which includes teaching crisis leadership; developing high performing teams; implementing a Coaching Fellows Program; and coaching in the Advanced Leadership Academy.
LTG (Ret) Keen served 38 years in the Army with over 11 years working and living abroad in the Republic of Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, Germany, Egypt, and Pakistan. Ken has extensive leadership experience of conventional and special operations units as well as the interagency environment. Ken commanded a SFOD-A team in Special Forces, a company and Battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division, Joint Task Force – Haiti, following the Jan 2010 earthquake, as well as serving on 3 U.S. Embassy Country Teams leading all military forces in Colombia, Haiti, and Pakistan during crisis periods. He participated in Operation JUST CAUSE in 1989 as the Assistant S3 of the 75th Ranger Regiment; commanded a Ranger Task Force during Operation DESERT STORM in 1990 as part of a Joint Special Operations Command while serving as the S3 of the 1st Ranger Battalion; was the Executive Officer and Commander of 1st Ranger Battalion; and was the 11th Colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment from 1999 to 2001.
LTG (Ret) Keen also serves on several non-profit Boards in support of military veterans and international humanitarian organizations; a member of the Council of Foreign Relations; on the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Army War College; and on the Board of Visitors for the Western Hemisphere of Security Cooperation. LTG (Ret) Keen also serves as the President of PKKEEN Consulting, LLC, and in this role he has been an Executive Coach for over 100 senior military and business executives over the last 3 years. In 2016, LTG (Ret) Keen was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame and the National Reserve Officer Training Corps Hall of Fame.
LTG (Ret) Keen served 38 years in the Army with over 11 years working and living abroad in the Republic of Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, Germany, Egypt, and Pakistan. Ken has extensive leadership experience of conventional and special operations units as well as the interagency environment. Ken commanded a SFOD-A team in Special Forces, a company and Battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division, Joint Task Force – Haiti, following the Jan 2010 earthquake, as well as serving on 3 U.S. Embassy Country Teams leading all military forces in Colombia, Haiti, and Pakistan during crisis periods. He participated in Operation JUST CAUSE in 1989 as the Assistant S3 of the 75th Ranger Regiment; commanded a Ranger Task Force during Operation DESERT STORM in 1990 as part of a Joint Special Operations Command while serving as the S3 of the 1st Ranger Battalion; was the Executive Officer and Commander of 1st Ranger Battalion; and was the 11th Colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment from 1999 to 2001.
LTG (Ret) Keen also serves on several non-profit Boards in support of military veterans and international humanitarian organizations; a member of the Council of Foreign Relations; on the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Army War College; and on the Board of Visitors for the Western Hemisphere of Security Cooperation. LTG (Ret) Keen also serves as the President of PKKEEN Consulting, LLC, and in this role he has been an Executive Coach for over 100 senior military and business executives over the last 3 years. In 2016, LTG (Ret) Keen was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame and the National Reserve Officer Training Corps Hall of Fame.
Education
Eastern Kentucky University
BS
Math
1974
University of Florida
MA
Latin American Studies
1986
Areas of Expertise
Leadership
Special Forces
Leader Development
Crisis Relief
Publications
Foreign Disaster Response: Joint Task Force-Haiti Observations
Army Combined Arms Center Fort Leavenworth KS Military Review2010
The devastation in Haiti caused by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on 12 January 2010 prompted the longest and largest U.S. military effort in a foreign disaster relief operation. The earthquake destroyed vast areas of Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital, as well as a number of communities to the west of the capital, killing an estimated 230,000 persons and leaving thousands trapped in the wreckage and over two million without shelter. At the peak of Operation Unified Response, 1 February 2010, Joint Task Force-Haiti (JTF-H) consisted of over 22,000 service members, 58 aircraft, and 23 ships. With the stand-down of JTF-H on 1 June, Operation Unified Response lasted nearly five months. This article contains our initial observations and recommendations to after action reviews and lessons that our military and interagency community should learn from as we prepare for the next foreign disaster.
Relationships matter: humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in Haiti
Joint Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM) Challenges in the Geographic Combatant Commands2010
The following collection of articles focus on U.S. joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational (JIIM) activities, challenges, issues, and operations in the six U.S. geographic combatant commands (GCCs). Today, stability operations in Afghanistan and Iraq rightfully receive the lion’s share of attention, priority, and media coverage. There are, however, many other challenges, potential dangers, and future threats in the other five GCCs that merit attention and continuous observation and evaluation. The GCCs operate in challenging and complex environments, tackling a vast array of JIIM challenges and issues each day. The intent of the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) is to illustrate some of the current challenges in this newsletter and highlight operations at the strategic or theater levels. [...]
Research Spotlight
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Record amounts of rain fall will bring catastrophic flooding to the Houston area. How to manage such a crisis brings to mind any number of logisical nightmares and heart-breaking scenarios. Goizueta’s Ken Keen is an expert in crisis response. Keen was commander of the Joint Task Force in Haiti when the earthquake hit six years ago. He was charged to lead the largest U.S. military based response to a foreign disaster commanding more than 22,000 personnel, 19 ships and 57 aircraft. Keen spent 39 years in the U.S. Army with positions including Military Deputy Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Commander, Joint Task Force-Haiti and Commander positions around the world. He can speak to emergency preparedness and the steps following a natural disaster. Source:
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With precious time until the Olympic Games begin in Rio de Janiero, what should be a point of pride for Brazil has been reduced to a cause for concern and worry for athletes, tourists, and international organizers. Concerns have ranged from venue readiness, Zika virus, bacteriainfested water and most importantly -security. Brazil is currently in political turmoil. Police and firefighters have been protesting and striking after going unpaid, body parts have been washing ashore and crime is rampant. In fact, in the first five months of 2016, 2,083 murders were reported (14 percent more than last year). With the world watching and the quality of security coming into question, is there reason to worry about the safety of our athletes or a potential terrorist threat at the Summer Games? Lieutenant General P. K. "Ken” Keen is a retired U.S. Army Officer and the Associate Dean of Leadership Development at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. General Keen is available to speak to media regarding security issues of such large events, potential threats, what athletes and visitors should consider if attending the Olympics. Source:
In the News
Excessive Regulation on NGOs Amid Crises Cost Lives | Opinion
Newsweek online
2023-06-02
The end of the COVID-19 National Emergency Declaration on May 11 marked a potent milestone in the battle against that crippling pandemic. At this important moment we should all reflect on the vital lessons learned, so that we'll be prepared for the next global crisis. There are changes desperately needed if we are to mitigate disasters more effectively in future.
Tropical Storm Grace batters Haiti days after deadly quake: 'Countless Haitian families have lost everything'
USA Today online
2021-08-17
"It was a little surreal when I heard there was another earthquake," Keen told USA TODAY. "But I remember experts saying back then that it would happen again, that it was on a fault line."
Ken Keen is quoted in this article for USA Today.
The wicked challenges of search-and-rescue at disaster sites such as Champlain Towers
The Washington Post online
2021-06-29
One of those buildings was the Hotel Montana a couple of blocks away. Reinforcing the cruel chance involved, one of the U.S. service members on his team was killed inside, while two others “rode it down” as the building collapsed and survived, Keen said.
Ken Keen is quoted in this article for The Washington Post.
Finding peace in post-disaster Haiti
Salon online
2013-05-26
"As an AP reporter covering the earthquake, I anticipated violent mayhem. What I discovered was a country united.”
Ken Keen is featured in this article for Salon.
Sean Penn: Actor calls progress in Haiti ‘extraordinary’
Washington Times online
2013-02-27
Ken Keen is quoted in this article for the Washington Times.
The Accidental Activist
New York Times Blog online
2011-03-25
Ken Keen is quoted in this article for the New York Times blog.
Jan. 18: Updates on the Crisis in Haiti
New York Times Blog online
2010-01-18
Ken Keen is featured in this coverage of the Haiti crisis for the New York Times blog.
