Keith N. Hamilton is an American writer who was formerly chair of the . In that capacity he was the first African American to serve in the Cabinet of the State of Utah. Hamilton was born in Virginia and raised primarily in New Jersey and North Carolina. His grandfather was a Southern Baptist preacher. After graduating, Hamilton served for several years in the United States Navy in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. He has worked in administrative positions at Brigham Young University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.