Keene served as special assistant to the president for equality and opportunity in the Biden-Harris White House, where her portfolio covered a wide range of domestic issues including strengthening federal anti-poverty programs, advancing civil rights, securing LGBTQI+ equality, and addressing domestic violent extremism and white supremacy. She was one of the architects and implementers of the administration’s historic executive order on racial equity. Keene has been an advisor on presidential transitions and campaigns on a range of policy issues. She also served in local government, working for the cities of Los Angeles and Washington, DC, where she built stronger services for families experiencing deep poverty and homelessness.