Troy native and Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins will deliver the keynote address at Troy University’s commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 10 in Trojan Arena.

More than 725 students from 22 U.S. states and nine nations outside the United States, including 11 Doctor of Nursing Practice graduates, two Doctor of Philosophy graduates and two Educational Specialist graduates, are expected to participate in the exercises that begin at 10 a.m. Tickets for the event are not required. 

Watkins was appointed Middle District of Alabama District Judge by Pres. George Bush in 2005 and was elevated to Chief District Judge in 2011. He assumed Senior Judge status in 2019.

A graduate of Auburn University and the University of Alabama School of Law, Watkins practiced law in Tuscaloosa for two years before returning to Troy, where he practiced for nearly three decades. He is a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation and served as the Bar Commissioner for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit and as a member of the Alabama State Bar Task Force for Alternative Dispute Resolution. He served as mediator in more than 200 civil cases in state and federal courts in Alabama and Georgia prior to taking the bench.

Watkins serves on the boards of the Frank M. Johnson Institute, the Rosa Parks Museum, the Federal Judges Association and the American Village. He and his wife have two children and five grandchildren.