Born in Missouri, Keith E. Bailey graduated from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, now the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and completed Harvard University’s Program for Management Development. After ten years with Conoco, he joined Williams Pipe Line in 1973 as assistant to the vice-president of operations and eventually became chairman of the board, president, and CEO of The Williams Companies in 1994.

Bailey has served on the boards of the American Petroleum Institute, Business Roundtable, National Alliance of Business, MarkWest Energy Partners, Apco International, and the Bank of Oklahoma, as well as a member of the National Petroleum Council. He has also served on the boards of numerous charity organizations, including the United Way, the Philbrook Museum of Art, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Salvation Army.

Bailey has received numerous honors and awards, including being named a Distinguished Eagle by the Boy Scouts of America and receiving an honorary PhD in engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Additionally, he has been inducted to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Tulsa Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma State University Engineering Hall of Fame, The University of Tulsa College of Business and College of Engineering halls of fame, the Oklahoma City University Business Hall of Honor, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology Athletic Hall of Fame.