Hi! I’m Bethany Keller. I believe God led my young family to Madison County, and it was no coincidence. In just a few short years, we have dug our roots deep. We love the home we’ve created and in the community God has planted us. I married my husband, Timothy, in 2018. He is an Army Veteran who has served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. We have three young children, Theodore, Victor, and Annabelle.
My family lives in rural Madison County, just minutes from Alexandria, Elwood, Frankton, and Orestes. From the moment we arrived, the community has welcomed the Keller family with open arms. We found our church family at Main Street Wesleyan in Elwood. In a few years, you’ll find us on a baseball field or at the 4-H fairgrounds. For now, you’ll find us enjoying Beulah Park or Calloway Park on sunny days.
You may have seen me attending monthly meetings of the Madison County Council. I’ve been regularly attending meetings in an attempt to be a more informed taxpayer and voter. My dissatisfaction of the current practices of our council inspired me to run for public office. Voters elected me in 2022 to serve District 1 (northern Madison County) as your Councilwoman. My four-year term began January 2023. I will bring accountability, transparency, professionalism, and respect for taxpayers to the County Council. I believe my leadership, advocacy, and nonprofit business experience will benefit the County Council and all taxpayers in which it serves.
Early Leadership & Advocacy
My passion for leading and serving my community started at a young age. By high school, I was already advocating at the Indiana State House and the U.S. Capitol for several bills that would make our communities safer. I held many leadership roles in both my high school and my community, including serving on the advisory boards of two local nonprofits. I was awarded the Lilly Endowment Scholarship in recognition of my academic excellence, leadership, and community service.
Collegiate Leadership & Service
While attending Indiana State University, I was heavily involved in our Student Government Association, holding elected positions all four years. I continued to advocate for state bills to reduce crime in my community, while also writing student bills on campus. I am most proud of my work bringing medical amnesty to campus. While leading our student senate, I demanded a new respect from the university administration by creating stronger governing documents, enforcing Robert’s Rules of Order, and using best professional practices. I gained the respect of students by taking the time to listen to concerns, follow up, and follow through to fix problems they were experiencing on campus.
In addition to the leadership and political experience I gained, I also learned about appropriating money through my role in student government. Our student senate had to pass a budget and appropriate money to the other branches of our student government. I led the oversight of “Organizational Funding.” Each year, we distributed funds, obtained from tuition money, to student organizations through an application and interview process. I helped improve the process significantly and increased the amount of money we received from the university by demonstrating additional need.
In addition to my bachelor’s degree and minor, I earned a minor in Civic Leadership and a certification in Nonprofit Management from Indiana State University. I was awarded the coveted Sycamore Leadership Award and the designation Service Learning Scholar for my various leadership roles and service activities on campus.
Professional Experience
I worked for The Salvation Army Church in various roles for eight years. I gained practical experience in nonprofit management, and also learned what it truly means to serve a community. One of my responsibilities was to apply for, receive, and distribute FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) funds to assist struggling families with rent, mortgage, and food. I worked directly with donors, raised funds, applied for grants, and worked within a balanced budget. I honored donor intent and justified expenditures based on donor wishes. In addition to working within The Salvation Army budget, I also managed funds for local partners, including St. Joseph’s Good Samaritan Fund and Terre Haute Ministries Utility Assistance.
I strongly support community collaboration to increase services to taxpayers. I worked with local government officials (nine Township Trustees & the Sewage Department), the U.S. Marine Corps, WorkOne, the Housing Authority, the United Way, the Community Foundation, other nonprofits, and other churches to help our struggling families. I improved efficiency within the community by reducing the duplication of services and working jointly with other community groups to prevent abuse of our local assistance network.
As part of our assistance program, I was required to review the household budgets of all families applying for assistance. By making budget suggestions, I helped families find creative solutions to their financial problems. In many situations, I was able to help families achieve life-changing, long-term financial security. I hope to do the same with Madison County’s annual budget through fiscal responsibility and mindful financial planning.
Working on the front lines with families experiencing financial crises, I often had to be the voice for those unable to advocate for themselves. I dealt with some bad landlords and a utility company burdening low-income families with unfair billing practices. I helped one family file a civil rights lawsuit against a government agency, which was later settled for a substantial amount of money. I will always speak up for those unable to. I’ve already demonstrated my willingness to advocate for taxpayers when speaking during public hearings at the Madison County Council.