Management
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mike Steele has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Kirkpatrick Oil Company since December, 2006. He joined the Company in 1994 as Gas Contracts Manager, and later served as its Land Manager. Mr. Steele began his career in the oil and gas industry as a field Landman in 1977. He joined Tenneco Oil Company in 1979 as Senior Landman where he worked until 1982, with responsibilities that included Kansas and northwest Oklahoma. Following his employment at Tenneco, Mr. Steele was Land Manager for Joseph B. Singer Oil Company until he joined Kirkpatrick.
Mr. Steele graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Petroleum Land Management in 1976. He is a member of the Oklahoma City Association of Professional Landmen, the American Association of Professional Landmen, the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City.
Vice President – Exploration
Stephen Nath joined Kirkpatrick Oil Company in January of 2012 and currently serves as Vice President – Exploration. Prior to joining Kirkpatrick, Mr. Nath worked as Senior Geologist for SandRidge Energy in its highly successful Pinon Field Development in the Marathon Thrust and Fold Belt of Southwestern Texas and in the Mississippian Expansion play of western Kansas. He spent several years prior to his tenure at SandRidge working on projects in Southern Oklahoma for Chesapeake Energy where his responsibilities included Chesapeake’s entry into the Woodford Shale play of the Ardmore Basin and development of new field discoveries in the Springer and Simpson in the Chitwood area. Mr. Nath previously worked for seventeen years for Samedan Oil Corporation (now Noble Energy) as a Senior Geologist with responsibilities worldwide.
Mr. Nath graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Ardmore Geological Society, Oklahoma City Geological Society, West Texas Geological Society and the North Dakota Geological Society.
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Cindy Birdsong joined Kirkpatrick Oil Company in 2009 and currently serves as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Birdsong has more than twenty-five years of experience in financial analysis and accounting. She began her career with Kerr-McGee Corporation and held various domestic and international accounting manager positions in both the oil/gas and chemical companies.
Ms. Birdsong graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Business degree in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant and currently serves as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association.
Vice President – Operations
Tim Newville joined Kirkpatrick Oil in October 2012 and currently serves as Vice President-Operations. Prior to joining Kirkpatrick, Mr. Newville worked 31 years as an engineer in the oil and natural gas industry. He began his career as a Consulting Professional Engineer for Newville Engineering, Inc in 1981. From there he went on to work at Sabine Corp., Pacific Enterprises Oil Co., Helmerich & Payne, Inc., and Vision Quest Enterprises, Inc. holding various engineering and supervisor positions. Mr. Newville spent the last twelve years at Chesapeake Energy working as an Asset Manager then District Manager for South Texas and most recently Resource Development Manager for the Eastern Division, planning the Utica and Marcellus shale development. Most notably, he was responsible for spear heading Chesapeake’s operational efforts entering the Eagleford play in South Texas.
Mr. Newville is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma earning a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering and masters in business administration with an emphasis in energy management. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Oklahoma and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Vice President & General Counsel
John Gelders joined Kirkpatrick Oil Company in 2004 and currently serves as
Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to joining Kirkpatrick, Mr. Gelders
was a member of the Oklahoma City-based law firm of Grimes, Gelders,
Anderson & Day. He has more than thirty years of experience in oil and gas law
and related matters.
Mr. Gelders graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of
Science degree in Industrial Engineering. He obtained the degree of Juris
Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1978. Mr. Gelders
is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, American Bar Association,
Oklahoma City Mineral Lawyers Society, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum
Association, Oklahoma City Association of Petroleum Landmen and the Permian
Basin Landman Association.
Geological Director
Ken Loeber joined Kirkpatrick Oil Company in late 2009 and currently serves as Geological Director. Mr. Loeber has 36 years of experience in the upstream E&P sector throughout North America, with responsibilities ranging from geophysicist and geologist, to exploration manager and VP Exploration. He has worked on a broad spectrum of exploration and development projects for ExxonMobil, Kerr-McGee Corporation, and private E&P companies. Prior to joining Kirkpatrick, Mr. Loeber was Vice President of Exploration for Cheyenne Petroleum Company.
Mr. Loeber graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology in 1974. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the Oklahoma City Geological Society, other regional geological societies, and the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association.
Reservoir Engineering Director
Kevin Preston joined Kirkpatrick Oil Company in 2008 as Reservoir Engineering Director, and is responsible for managing the company’s district office in Denver, Colorado. Prior to joining Kirkpatrick, Mr. Preston was employed by Aviva, Inc. for twenty-three years, serving most recently as Vice President of Engineering and Acquisitions. Mr. Preston previously worked at Petro-Lewis Corporation in various technical and managerial positions. He has experience in most of the geologic basins in the United States with an emphasis on reservoir engineering and property evaluation.
Mr. Preston graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas Tech University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Vice President – Land
Jeremy Fitzpatrick joined Kirkpatrick Oil Company in October 2009 and currently serves as Vice President – Land. Prior to joining Kirkpatrick, Mr. Fitzpatrick practiced oil and gas law for five years in Oklahoma City, beginning with the firm of Moricoli, Harris & Cottingham, and later with Hickman & Fitzpatrick. His practice primarily involved the representation of oil and gas operators and producers in a variety of areas, including litigation and regulatory matters before the Corporation Commission of the State of Oklahoma, title examination and transactional matters.
Mr. Fitzpatrick graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Energy Management; he later earned the degree of Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Oklahoma City Mineral Lawyers Society, Oklahoma City Association of Petroleum Landmen, Permian Basin Landman’s Association, American Association of Petroleum Landmen, Independent Petroleum Association of America, OERB Public Education Committee, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association and the Wildcatters Club of Oklahoma.