KEI Contributor

Keome (pronounced Key-Men) Rowe is a Public Diplomacy coned Foreign Service Officer who has worked extensively on issues across East Asia and the Indo-Pacific. His public diplomacy work focuses on engaging foreign audiences regarding media freedom, democracy, human rights, social justice, and people-to-people exchanges. He currently serves as a Republic of Korea desk officer in the Office of Korean and Mongolian Affairs, focusing on policy to strengthen the U.S.-ROK bilateral relationship. Most recently, he served as a Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operations Center, where he monitored worldwide hotspots and briefed senior leaders on breaking developments. Keome also served on the Sudan Task Force, which evacuated over 80 U.S. Diplomats and countless U.S. citizens. Keome’s overseas assignments include U.S. Embassy Beijing, U.S. Embassy Islamabad, and U.S. Consulate Karachi. He has received several awards for his work with the State Department, including two Meritorious Honor awards and a group Superior Honor Award. Rowe earned a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A) and an M.A. in international relations, along with Certificates of Advanced Study in security studies and conflict resolution from Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. In 2022, the Maxwell School named Keome their inaugural Maxwell Award of Excellence Compass Award for exceptional early-career individuals. Keome earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from Texas Christian University where he was also a Chancellor’s Scholar. Keome is a 2023 Aspen Strategy Group Rising Leader, 2022 African American China Leader Fellow, and current board member for the Pickering & Rangel Fellowship Association. Keome loves BBQ and Tex-Mex food and anything from Texas. He is an avid tennis player and speaks Spanish, Mandarin, and Urdu.