FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
THE BENEFITS OF “FLYING IN Formation” include efficiency, effective communication, and advanced navigation. It requires awareness, careful flight, and a leader who sets the course and pace. Christian Keesee, our leader, embodies the Kirkpatrick family motto, I mak sikkar “I’ll make sure.” His reputation as a visionary is well earned. He leads with encouragement, a keen intellect, a drive to make things better, humor, and care for the work and those around him.
True to the spirit of our founders, John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick, carried forward by Joan Kirkpatrick and continued today, the Scottish ideals of loyalty, hard work, and honesty remain at the forefront of the foundation’s work.
In August 2024, the foundation’s visionary executive director and our friend, Louisa McCune, took her sunset flight after a long illness with cancer. I was warmly welcomed, but one thing was clear—there was important and pressing work to do. And so, with a reconfigured formation, the team came together—with laser-like focus, committed to staying the course.
As you will read in the pages that follow, we work in the areas defined by our founders: animal wellbeing, historic preservation, arts and culture, education, and environmental conservation. These focus areas experienced drastic cuts in federal funding in 2025. While neither Kirkpatrick Foundation nor the broader philanthropic community can fill the gaps, we can support brave leaders, foster innovation, and encourage collaboration.
Our initiatives, partnerships, and grantmaking are strengthened by our internal programs: Red Ridge Nature Preserve, ArtDesk magazine,
the ANIMAL Conference, and, most recently, the Kirkpatrick Medal, which honors individuals who have created meaningful change aligned with the foundation’s mission.
Through our grantmaking, programs, research, and publications, we call attention to the disregard for animal care in industrial production systems, as well as the importance of environmental conservation and the protection of wildlife and their habitats. Locally, we established a collaboration with the City of Oklahoma City to engage partners in planning and taking decisive action to reduce pet overpopulation. These efforts will help ensure that the city’s new municipal shelter, slated to open in 2027, is positioned for success.
Red Ridge Nature Preserve, one of our portfolio’s largest and most ambitious projects, reflects the Kirkpatrick Foundation’s vision of connecting people to nature while fostering conservation and environmental stewardship. Located at the edge of the Cross Timbers, where the forest meets the prairie, the preserve serves as a living classroom and sanctuary for wildlife, offering opportunities for education and research. Red Ridge protects habitats and biodiversity and fosters a culture of care and responsibility for Oklahoma’s environment and wildlife, ensuring that the preserve’s impact remains lasting and meaningful.
Guided by the vision of our founders and strengthened by the dedication of our partners, grantees, trustees, and staff, Kirkpatrick Foundation remains committed to supporting the people and ideas shaping a strong and vibrant Oklahoma.
for what can be accomplished together. For more than seventy years, Kirkpatrick Foundation has championed bold ideas, encouraged creativity, and worked to improve the quality of life in central Oklahoma.
I look forward to leading and building upon a foundation of partnership and purpose, continuing the work our founders began, supporting the vision of our chairman, and ensuring that what we do is forward-thinking and meaningful for the communities we serve.
As we look ahead, we do so with gratitude for those who work alongside us and with optimism KELLEY BARNES
Red Ridge Nature Preserve
