Bradford G. Keithley - Chapman Legacy Society
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Gifts Established:

  • Bradford G. Keithley Presidential Scholarship | Est. 2002
brick engraved with name Bradford G. Keithley

Bradford G. Keithley

Bradford G. “Brad” Keithley (BS ’73, History) has forged a successful career as a business executive, lawyer, and consultant with many years of experience working on energy industry and fiscal issues. Keithley is currently the Managing Director of Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets, a non-partisan project that develops and advocates for responsible state and federal fiscal policies. Despite his geographic distance from TU, Keithley’s impact is still felt on campus, due in part to his significant funding of the longstanding presidential scholarship in his name.

A native of Macomb, Illinois, Brad graduated from The University of Tulsa in 1973, and he was quite involved in campus activities, serving as a student senator and as the treasurer of the Student Association. He was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order social fraternity, and he was invited to participate in two scholastic honorary societies, Omicron Delta Kappa, and the now-defunct but very selective Phi Gamma Kappa. After graduating from TU, he earned his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1976.

Keithley launched his legal career as a Captain in the United States Air Force, serving as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel, Secretary of the Air Force, in the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, from 1976 to 1978. After separating from the Air Force, he became first an Associate, and later a Partner, with the prominent law firm Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Collingsworth & Nelson, now simply Hall Estill. He was based in Tulsa with the firm from 1978 to 1984.

Brad then worked in the energy and law sectors in Arkansas, Louisiana, Washington, DC, and Alaska, before opening his Alaska-based consulting firm, Keithley Consulting in 2013. Keithley advised clients on issues involving the Alaska energy industry and fiscal policies. In 2016, he assumed his current role as the Managing Director of Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets.

Keithley’s list of accomplishments, awards, and leadership roles within the legal and business communities is extensive. This well-known attorney is listed in Benchmark Litigation’s Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys as a “Local Litigation Star.” He was ranked by legal trade publication Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Business Lawyers” in the years 2004 through 2008, and again in 2010. He also was named by this same publication as one of “America’s Leading Environment & Natural Resources Lawyers” in the years 2011 through 2013.

Brad Keithley has long been a friend to TU, generously funding the Bradford G. Keithley Presidential Scholarship in 2002, and supporting other programs, including the Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge (TURC), the TU Annual Fund, and TU Athletics.

The University of Tulsa is grateful to this accomplished alumnus, who has made it a priority to create opportunities for those following in his footsteps at his alma mater.