Alumna uses personal success to help others
Before earning her degrees, Courtney Keener was a teenage single mom who faced the perception that she and her daughter were destined to struggle in life. Now, the Texas A&M University-Victoria alumna is making it possible for other single mothers to overcome similar circumstances.
“When I was young, everyone seemed to think that my story and my daughter’s story had already been written,” Keener said. “But I knew that God had something better for me. I kept pushing, even when I had to put school on hold to make sure I could keep my job and provide for my daughter. I never gave up.”
Keener earned two degrees from the university. In 2016, she graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance. The next year, she earned a Master of Business Administration in finance. Today, she is a project controls manager in the oil and gas industry in the Houston area.
“Courtney Keener’s story is a testament to perseverance, ambition, and the impact education can have across generations, said Kelsey Gomez, director of alumni relations and annual giving. “She didn’t just overcome the odds; she redefined them, proving that determination and support can unlock new futures not just for the individual, but for their family and community. Her commitment to giving back through scholarships is precisely the kind of generational change we hope to inspire in all our alumni.”
Keener’s early days pursuing higher education were difficult. She started by pursuing an associate degree, but there were times when she had to drop out of school to focus on her job and raising her daughter. In addition, as a first-generation student, she had the added frustration of not receiving clear communication from the school she attended.
“At one point after one of my many educational breaks, I looked into how far away I was from graduating and discovered I had completed my associate degree three years prior. No one told me,” she said. “I was so sad and disappointed to have lost all that extra time when I could have been celebrating that achievement.”
After she received her associate degree, Keener chose to get her bachelor’s degree. At the time, A&M-Victoria had an instructional site in the Houston area, so she began taking classes there. She was working as a business support coordinator in the oil and gas industry, but she wanted to transition into project controls, which required a higher degree than she had at the time. Once she earned her BBA in finance, she kept going and received her MBA in finance from the university as well. But she wasn’t done learning. After earning her MBA, she went on to get a Doctor of Business Administration in 2021 from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
While earning a doctorate was her educational ambition, that was just one step in Keener’s mission to make an impact. As she achieved her own success, she chose to give back by creating the Dr. Courtney Gatlin Keener Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping single mothers achieve their educational goals. Through scholarships, empowerment workshops, and career readiness support, the Foundation is bridging the gap between vulnerability and sustainability by helping single mothers overcome the seemingly insurmountable barriers that stand between where they are and where they aspire to be.
This year, Dr. CGK Foundation will award $40,000 in academic scholarships at its annual Queen Scholarship Awards Gala & Fundraiser, bringing the organization’s five-year investment in women pursuing higher education to $100,000.
“When I was going through my doctoral program, I promised God that I would give back, and that’s what I’ve been doing through this foundation,” she said. “We’re creating generational transformation in the lives of single mothers and their families. That’s something I love to see.”
As she reflects on her own struggles and all the work she put into reaching her educational, professional, and non-profit goals, Keener hopes that her daughter remembers the strength and tenacity that it took to reach those goals. Today, her daughter has her own budding career in health care and is currently pursuing dual graduate degrees, a Master of Health Administration and a Master of Business Administration. Keener is married to her wonderful husband, Marvin, the proud mother of her daughter, Jasmine, and loving bonus mom. She says that she is most excited about being a grandmother to her 21-month-old grandson, Dylan.
“I did not become who I am today alone. I’m grateful to everyone – what I call ‘my village’ – for their support through those years of struggle and hard work,” Keener said. “My family and university personnel, like Kristy Hennessey and Angela Green, were truly instrumental in helping me reach my goals. I’m so blessed to have had their support. While I realize that the population of women of which I was once a part may not have a village, I look forward to being part of the support they need through the Dr. Courtney Gatlin Keener Foundation.”
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.