Career
Floyd Keels is a retired electric utilities executive who served more than 40 years in the power industry with the last 16 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Santee Electric Cooperative, Inc., headquartered in Kingstree, SC.
Santee Electric is a South Carolina power provider for Clarendon, Florence and Georgetown Counties representing the largest geographic footprint among electric cooperatives east of the Mississippi River.
EDUCATION
A native of South Carolina’s Pee Dee Region, Keels attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Sumter Area Technical College, the University of South Carolina, and he earned a Bachelor of Business Management and Master of Business Administration degrees with honors from Golden Gate University of San Francisco, CA.
He was honored with a Doctorate of Humanities Degree by Francis Marion University of Florence, SC in 2012 and Central Carolina Technical College’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.
In 2003, Keels was appointed by Governor Mark Sanford to serve on his Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance.
Lifetime Achievements
On May 15, 2015, Keels was awarded (South Carolina’s highest award) the Order of The Palmetto by then Governor Nikki Haley. He was also presented South Carolina’s Ambassador for Economic Development Award by then Governor Mark Sanford in 2007 for his contributions to economic development. In 2003, Keels was appointed by Governor Sanford to serve on his Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance.
Keels is also a decorated military veteran with a Bronze Star Medal and other combat awards for his service in Viet Nam. He and his wife, Bessie, have one grown son and a granddaughter.
