About Mayor Timothy M. Keller and First Lady Elizabeth J. Kistin Keller, PhD
Information about the life and career of Mayor Tim Keller and First Lady Elizabeth J. Kistin Keller, PhD.
Born and raised in Albuquerque, Tim brings focus and passion to making Albuquerque a safer, innovative and inclusive city. His leadership is centered around the “One Albuquerque” unity vision, a clarion call honoring the city’s diverse heritage and championing residents from all walks of life. As the first ever consecutive three-term Mayor of Albuquerque since its founding 1706; he deeply believes in the power we all have to lift up our city, despite our challenges.
Tim’s zeal for public service comes from his willingness to challenge the status quo and his track record for having real impact. He strives to approach every day first as a listener, then as a problem solver with a bias toward action. Since first being elected at the age of 29, he brings these authentic values into his efforts to shape a brighter future for our families. From State Senator to Auditor to Mayor, he has tackled some of the biggest issues facing New Mexico.
As mayor he created the first-of-its-kind Community Safety Department that sends trained professionals to non-violent 911 calls, ensuring the right response to mental health, substance use, and homelessness — and freeing up police to focus on crime. He led the Police Department in reversing worst-in-the-nation crime rates by combining technology and civilianization, cleared the rape kit backlog, and transformed the department through DOJ reforms. He built the City’s first comprehensive homeless support system, the largest investment for the unhoused in city history. His efforts also modernized the economy, landing thousands of new jobs from Netflix and directed energy, quantum and fusion companies. His climate change efforts launched Albuquerque into the top 5 solar cities in America.
When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened lives and livelihoods, Tim responded using the City’s emergency powers, creating a safety net for the most vulnerable. As State Auditor, he founded the Government Accountability Office and exposed billions in misused or idle public funds. As State Senator, he was elected Majority Whip and passed the most bipartisan legislation of any member during his tenure.
Prior to public service, Tim spent 15 years working with Tribal governments and large companies. He also resided in Cambodia, where he ran the nation's first technology company bringing living wage opportunities to landmine victims and survivors of trafficking. Tim is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he studied Art History and earned an MBA with honors from Harvard.
His work during the pandemic was profiled in the book “City and Crossroads” and his early career was the focus of the Harvard case study “Tim Keller at Katzenbach partners.” The Albuquerque Community Safety Department he launched was the subject of the Harvard case “In That Crucible, You Find Innovation: Public Safety Transformation in Albuquerque”. Tim played ‘the Mayor’ in the 2025 tv series Pluribus. Tim is also an advocate for Dyslexia awareness after being diagnosed and re-learning various reading skills as an adult.
Elizabeth J. Kistin Keller, PhD
First Lady Elizabeth Kistin Keller was born and raised right here in Albuquerque. She went on to earn her B.A. in Political Science and Latin American Studies as a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and her Masters and PhD in International Development Studies as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. After several years of international work on global water conflict and cooperation, she returned home and currently works in strategic futures and policy analysis at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She and the Mayor are thrilled to be raising their kids in Albuquerque.