Earlier this year, the University of Georgia announced the 2024 40 Under 40 honorees. The winners include 8 graduates with SPIA degrees. 40 Under 40 celebrates young alumni leading the pack in their industries and communities. Learn more about our Honoree Cameron Keen, attorney with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP.
What was your favorite SPIA class or favorite SPIA professor?
My favorite SPIA professors were Dr. Chuck Bullock and Dr. Maryann Gallagher. I took two of Dr. Bullock’s classes, Legislative Process and Southern Politics, and one of Dr. Gallagher’s, American Foreign Policy. Both of these professors work tirelessly to prepare their students to tackle the most challenging problems facing our world today.
What obscure thing are you talented at?
Untangling things, typing really, really fast, or drafting itineraries for trips planned week-of.
What is one weird fact or tidbit that you still remember from school?
A whole lot happens in committees.
What one superpower would you give to everyone in the world? How would the world change?
The ability to transport to other places instantly. I think this superpower would allow us to learn just how similar we all are to each other no matter where we’re from. It’d also be fun to hike the Inca Trail and eat pizza in Italy all in one day.
What is your favorite band or artist?
The Futurebirds, the Avett Brothers, or Dawes.
Where’s the next place on your travel bucket list and why?
I’d love to go to Japan and experience all that is there to see in the different cities and mountains throughout the country.
If you could have dinner with one famous person, living or dead, who would it be? Why?
Sorry for the SPIA answer here, but I’d love to have dinner with George Washington or Abraham Lincoln to learn more about their leadership during some of the most fragile times in our nation’s history.
What is one piece of advice you have for current SPIA students?
First, build a community of friends and mentors who challenge you and believe in you. Politics, the law, public administration, and nonprofit work are all fields that ultimately boil down to relationships. Every meaningful job I’ve had has come from someone who cared enough to help me get there. Remember that and work to do the same for others. Second, be open to new opportunities, even those you haven’t heard of or didn’t plan for.
