Jay Keel began serving as a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors in 2012.

He finished third in the Oklahoma state high school tournament in 1976 and wrestled at the Haskell Indian Nations College in Lawrence, Kansas, before a knee injury ended his career.

He then attended East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and received his bachelor’s degree in speech communication Jay became an ordained and licensed minister after college, serving as a youth pastor for more than 10 years and working more than 30 years to establish a Youth and Family Services team in the Chickasaw Nation.

Keel is the Secretary of Family Services for the Chickasaw Nation and oversees programs and opportunities that support strong and healthy Chickasaw families.

He was honored as an Outstanding American by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, and was named as one of the 55 Over 55 Inspiring Oklahomans in 2023.

Keel is a licensed Baptist minister and former youth pastor and has served on the board of directors at the Ada Family Crisis Center, Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, Prevent Child Abuse Oklahoma and Caring for Ada's Children.

Jay and his wife, Donna, live in Ada, Oklahoma, and have three children - Wyatt, Allison and Natalie.