Ryan Keck will permanently lead the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, the state agency responsible for research and funding on criminal justice issues, Gov. Tina Kotek’s office announced. The appointment took effect at the beginning of October. Keck had served as the commission’s interim executive director since April 2025. Kotek said he had done strong work in that role and described his approach as collaborative and evidence-based, with a focus on community safety. Keck’s career in Oregon public safety spans roughly 30 years. He has served as a corrections deputy and helped launch the Center for Policing Excellence at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. He joined the commission in 2021 as a programs director and later became deputy director, working on grant programs. The commission’s responsibilities include research and distributing public safety funds. Under Keck, the agency has been carrying out changes to its grant portfolio under a 2025 state law that reorganized grants into separate programs for law enforcement and public safety. The agency has also studied pretrial release, publicized resources for immigrant crime victims and restricted funding for controversial license plate-reading software. Keck’s appointment is part of a broader reshuffling of Oregon’s criminal justice leadership. In 2025, Kotek appointed former commission director Ken Sanchagrin to lead the Oregon Public Defense Commission. Sanchagrin took the job after Kotek removed its previous executive director, Jessica Kampfe, citing concerns about the state’s public defender shortage. The commission’s decisions on grants and research can shape how state resources are directed and what evidence informs criminal justice policy across Oregon.