Keith is a native of North Carolina and a 1976 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He was employed with the North Carolina Department of Revenue in October 1976 as a Tax Auditor in the Individual Income Tax Division, where he also served as an administrative officer. In October 1986 he was named Assistant Director for the Tax Research Division. In January 1987 he was asked to serve as the Department's Chief Financial Officer, which he did until August 2007. In September 2007, Secretary Reginald Hinton appointed him to the position of Chief Deputy Secretary.