Tim Keller Bio
Timothy Matthew Keller (born November 22, 1977) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 30th mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as New Mexico State Auditor from 2015 to 2017 and represented the 17th district in the New Mexico State Senate. Before entering public office, Keller founded Digital Divide Data, an organization that trains and employs disadvantaged workers internationally.
Elected mayor in 2017 and reelected in 2021, Keller has led Albuquerque with a focus on public safety, renewable energy, and homelessness initiatives. He is married to Elizabeth Kistin and is widely recognized for his bipartisan work in state government and his unusual public profile as an avid heavy metal fan.
Early Life and Background
Keller was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his father was a founder of Union Savings Bank and his mother worked as a public school teacher and homemaker. He was raised in a Catholic household and grew up in the same city he would later lead as mayor. As a child, Keller struggled with dyslexia, though the condition was not formally diagnosed until he reached graduate school.
Following his graduation from St. Pius X High School, Keller attended the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He later completed a Master of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. The dyslexia diagnosis during this period prompted him to relearn various reading and processing skills as an adult, an experience that shaped his later advocacy for awareness of the disorder.
Path to US Politics
After finishing business school, Keller returned to New Mexico and became active in his community, volunteering with groups that fostered economic opportunities in Albuquerque’s International District. He served on the boards of the Open Hands Foundation, the Asian American Association, and Albuquerque Southeast Team for Entrepreneur Development. He also spent roughly fifteen years in the private sector, including work in strategic planning for Fortune 500 companies and consulting with Native American governmental financial operations.
In 2008, Keller was elected to the New Mexico State Senate to represent District 17, also known as the International District. During the 49th Legislative Session, he introduced 30 pieces of legislation, eight of which passed, with four signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson. In the 2011–2012 session, he expanded his legislative output, introducing 55 bills and seeing 14 pass, including five signed into law by Governor Susana Martinez. In December 2012, he was elected to Senate leadership as Majority Whip, a position he held until resigning to become State Auditor.
Tim Keller Career
Early Career (2008–2014)
Keller’s first major political role came with his 2008 election to the New Mexico State Senate. His legislative work focused on economic development, education, and government reform, and he gained a reputation for bipartisan cooperation. By the end of his Senate tenure, he had risen to the position of Majority Whip.
In spring 2013, Keller announced his candidacy for New Mexico State Auditor. During the campaign, he released a commercial themed around the television series Breaking Bad that drew national attention. On November 4, 2014, he was elected State Auditor, defeating Robert Aragon 54% to 46%.
State Auditor Breakthrough (2015–2017)
Keller served as New Mexico’s elected State Auditor from January 2015 through November 2017. In that role, he concentrated on improving government performance by providing transparency and accountability for public spending, informing policy choices, and addressing fraud, waste, and abuse. He resigned from the position after being elected mayor of Albuquerque.
Mayor of Albuquerque Era (2017–Present)
On December 1, 2017, Keller was sworn in as the 30th mayor of Albuquerque, after winning a runoff election against Republican City Councilman Dan Lewis with 62% of the vote. He named Sarita Nair as the city’s first female chief administrative officer and appointed new leadership at the Albuquerque Police Department, including Michael Geier as interim chief and Harold Medina, Rogelio Banez, and Eric Garcia as deputy chiefs.
During his tenure, Keller issued an executive order committing the City of Albuquerque to 100% renewable energy by 2030, including a large solar farm on the nearby Jicarilla Reservation, and later committed to reaching that goal by 2025. He created a nationally recognized Community Safety Department that sends trained professionals to non-violent 911 calls involving mental health, substance use, and homelessness. His administration also cleared the city’s rape kit backlog in April 2021 and established the Gateway Center, designed to assist up to 1,000 people per day.
Under Keller, Albuquerque invested more than $200 million in new parks, libraries, housing, splash pads, street lights, road repairs, and community centers in underserved and historic neighborhoods. Netflix opened its first production facility in the city in 2018, with a major expansion in 2024, and NBCUniversal opened a facility in 2021 expected to provide 330 full-time equivalent jobs. In 2022, Keller helped unveil statues of Breaking Bad characters Walter White and Jesse Pinkman at the Albuquerque Convention Center, commissioned by showrunner Vince Gilligan. He also made a cameo appearance in the science fiction series Pluribus, created by Gilligan, with episodes airing shortly before the 2025 mayoral runoff.
Notable Events and Milestones
Keller’s signature political moment came in 2017, when he won the Albuquerque mayoral runoff with 62% of the vote after leading the October election with 39%. He secured reelection in November 2021 with 56% of the vote, avoiding a runoff by winning a majority against Manny Gonzales and Eddy Aragon. His administration also navigated a substantial increase in the city’s homeless population, which grew from 1,152 in 2021 to 2,394 in 2023.
Tim Keller Career Wins
Throughout his political career, Tim Keller has won election to the New Mexico State Senate, the office of State Auditor, and two terms as mayor of Albuquerque. His campaigns have been marked by broad coalitions, public-financing innovations, and bipartisan endorsements.
Electoral Highlights
Keller first won public office in 2008 with his election to the New Mexico State Senate for District 17. In 2014, he won the race for State Auditor with 54% of the vote. His most decisive victory came in the 2017 mayoral runoff, when he defeated Dan Lewis 62% to 38%. He closed out his winning streak in 2021, capturing 56% of the mayoral vote to win a second term outright.
Tim Keller Family
Family Background and Lineage
Keller was born into an Albuquerque family with deep roots in the city’s business and civic life. His father was a founder of Union Savings Bank, while his mother worked as a public school teacher and homemaker. He was raised Catholic, a background that has remained part of his public identity.
Personal Life
Keller is married to Elizabeth Kistin. Outside of politics, he is an avid football player who played quarterback for the Duke City Gladiators, Albuquerque’s professional indoor football team, in their 2018 season opener. He is also a prominent advocate for dyslexia awareness and a well-known heavy metal fan, profiled by The New York Times as the “#MetalMayor.” Keller has introduced several heavy metal bands live on stage in Albuquerque, with favorites including Metallica, Pantera, and Guns N’ Roses, and he has said that his love of the genre has shaped his dedication to public service.