Keene isn’t just my last name, it’s what others feel about my work.
My name is Houston Keene and I am joining K2 & Company as communications director.
As you can probably guess, I am a seventh-generation Texan who was born in Austin and raised in Dallas. I graduated a semester early from Baylor University in 2016 with a B.B.A. in marketing. In college, I was an active member of the Texas Rho chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon and played tuba in the Baylor University Golden Wave Marching Band for a semester.
After college, I promptly moved north to Washington, D.C., to intern for my local congressman. It was there I went all-in on finding a full-time job on Capitol Hill in the communications sphere.
After interning, I worked for two conservative members of Congress in their communications shops handling social media accounts, writing opinion pieces and press releases, and chronicling the day-to-day official duties of my bosses.
My tenure in Congress made me proficient in crisis communications while keeping a cool head as information flies. In 2018, the tragic, anti-Semitic attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh took place while I worked for the House lawmaker representing that area of Pennsylvania. Just two years later, while working for a House lawmaker from Texas, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But the pandemic didn’t stop me from frequently traveling to the Capitol to do my job for the people my boss represented.
In between my Capitol Hill stints, I wrote for several publications. As a journalist, I covered Congress, the presidency, campaigns, and the political zeitgeist of America through an investigative lens. I had the great fortune of interviewing incredible people from all walks of life, from lawmakers at the highest echelon of government to legendary athletes engaging in the world of politics. I have interviewed presidential candidates on the campaign trail and covered the historic ousting of a House speaker. My coverage also included the opening weeks of the Ukraine War and the horrific October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians.
My short, but eventful, career in political communications has allowed me to do incredible things and speak to amazing people. Most importantly, it taught me five things:
1) The truth matters.
2) Think at least three steps ahead while strategizing, but always be good at improvising. 3) Life is short. Do good. Fight for the right things.
4) Don’t cut corners, especially when the cards are on the table.
5) Trust in God above he’ll take you where you need to go.
I’m looking forward to working with everyone at K2. In the words of my grandfather: Keep the faith, baby!