RAY'S STORY

I

Arizona Roots, Service, and Engineering Career

An Arizonan since childhood, in the 8th Congressional District I am a product of the state’s public schools and Arizona State University, which has been the home base for my adult life and community involvement. I enlisted in the U.S. Army after my first year at ASU, trained in infantry, mortars, and airborne, and served with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, completing over 170 military and recreational parachute jumps. After an honorable discharge, I returned to ASU on the GI Bill, earning a B.S. in mathematics with a computer science option. I then built a decades‑long career as a software engineer focused on avionics, programming and testing cockpit computers and engine controls for major aircraft manufacturers, and serving as software verification lead during the 2006 certification of the Eclipse jet.

Leadership, Rescue Work, and Conservation Focus

Throughout my life, leadership and service have extended beyond my professional career into faith, rescue work, and conservation. At ASU, I served as activities leader for the All Saints Newman Center and president of the Outdoors Club, experience that helped prepare me for 13 international expeditions focused on mapping caves and water movement. For 17 years, I served on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office mountain rescue team, co‑leading abandoned mine and cave rescues and working as an EMT for eight years. My recreation has evolved toward science‑driven conservation and land management, particularly around water issues in the Southwest, and I have held national leadership roles in the National Speleological Society, most recently serving as government liaison to the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management for cave and karst issues.

Paid for by Raymond Keeler for U.S Congressional District 8. Authorized by Raymond Keeler.
Mailing Address: Raymond Keeler for U.S Congressional District 8 | PO Box #####, Glendale, AZ 85308

raykeeler4az@gmail.com