Kenton W. Keith

Kenton Wesley Keith (born November 12, 1939) is a former American career diplomat and ambassador to Qatar from 1992 to 1995. A U.S. Navy veteran, Keith also served as Senior Vice president of programming for the American Academy of Diplomacy. Ambassador Keith has been awarded two presidential service awards and is a Chevalier in the French Order of Arts and Letters.

Personal life

Keith was born on November 12, 1939, in Kansas City, Missouri. His mother, Gertrude Keith, was a civil servant and one of the first African-American women to attend college in the United States. His father, Jimmy Keith, was a Jazz saxophonist and a legend on the Kansas City jazz scene. Keith attended the racially segregated Lincoln High School in Kansas City and was later a student at The University of Kansas where he earned a degree in International Relation and French in 1961. During his time there Keith also completed the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program, which later led to a career as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. In June 1963, Keith married Brenda Ayo. Keith and Ayo had two children a son, Vincent, and a daughter, Pamela.

Keith is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is a member of the fraternity's World Policy Council, a think tank whose purpose is to expand Alpha Phi Alpha's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass international concerns.