Lasallian Founder's Alumni Award: Concern for the Poor and Social Justice, Shane Saunders

November 9, 2023

From the Bishop Kelley Class of 1999.

One of the five tenets of the Lasallian Charism is a dedication to the poor and social justice. Bishop Kelley gives out an award annually to an alumnus who lives out these values in a profound and meaningful way. For many years, Shane Saunders has been involved with a Tulsa non-profit called Iron Gate which has a mission of feeding the hungry of Tulsa every day. This organization feeds people in three ways, through a community meal, through a grocery pantry, and through a kids’ pantry.


For over ten years, Shane has served as a member of Iron Gate’s Board of Directors and has chaired that board. He’s proud to say that they call those who eat at Iron Gate their guests. As Shane puts it, we are all guests on this earth and guests should treat one another with courtesy, kindness and respect. 


Shane is a member of the last Bishop Kelley graduating class of the previous millennium…1999! In fact, he was the president of BK’s Student Government. For many years, he has led a life of service to others, both through public policy and direct action. His life’s work has been focused on the alleviation of poverty, a virtue Shane says he learned as a student at Bishop Kelley.


Shane remembers a very candid conversation he had as a senior with the late Brother Norman who taught here for several years. Brother encouraged Shane to really focus on what he wanted to do with his life. Not focus so much on the how, but rather on what he wanted to do with the gifts that God gave him. According to Shane, Bishop Kelley taught him several things. His time as a student here instilled a drive in him to serve others. BK also taught him how to relate, engage, and respect others regardless of their station in life.


One of the things Shane cherishes most about his Bishop Kelley experience is the great group of lifelong friends that he made while he was a student here. He says Kelley gave him the tools to continue his education at the highest levels and without this school, his life may have taken a different path.


Upon Shane’s graduation from BK, he enrolled at Washington and Lee University where he earned a BA in Politics and a BA in Classics. He later earned an MBA from the University of Tulsa. Shane is the owner and president of Trident Energy which is a Tulsa-based oil and gas exploration company. Trident is a domestic producer of American energy, holding interests in hundreds of wells located throughout the United States. Shane is also the owner of Trident Capital which invests in real estate and in other companies.


Prior to founding Trident, Shane served as Press Secretary and Campaign Manager for Congressman John Sullivan who is also a Bishop Kelley graduate. 


Shane is a member of the Church of Saint Mary and has two daughters, Bay and Maple, who attend the School of Saint Mary. Shane is a big believer in Catholic education, having served as a past chair of the Saint Francis of Assisi gala which is an effort to build a large endowment to help lower income families afford a Catholic education in the Diocese of Tulsa.


Shane is serves in a variety of roles with Washington and Lee University, including the Annual Fund Council, is president of the University’s alumni association in Tulsa, and is president of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity Housing Corporation. He is a member of the American Association of Professional Landmen, an organization that gave its most recent Community Service award to Shane. He also serves on the Oklahoma board of directors for JDRF International which is an organization dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes.


Please join me in congratulating our newest recipient of the alumni award for dedication to the poor and social justice, Mr. Shane Saunders.


Lasallian Founder’s Alumni Award

Recognizing the accomplishments of Outstanding Bishop Kelley Alumni who exemplify the five core principles of the Lasallian Mission; Faith in the Presence of God, Quality Education, Concern for the Poor & Social Justice, Respect for All Persons & Inclusive Community.


If you know a deserving BK Alumni, please nominate them here:

https://www.bishopkelley.org/alumni#LasallianFoundersAlumniAwardsNominationForm

August 25, 2025
With over 350 in attendance on April 26, 2025 at Jarboe Hall, the BK community raised just over $312,500 (net) towards purchasing school bus transportation.
July 24, 2025
Outstanding Young Alumni: Sam Littlefield ’10 Sam Littlefield attended Marquette from 1996 - 2006 before attending Bishop Kelley in the fall of 2006. At Bishop Kelley, Sam was President of Student Council his senior year, was also named Mr. Kelley, and was honored with the Bishop’s Medal upon his graduation in 2010. Sam set sail west and attended the University of San Diego from 2010 - 2014. While there, Sam served as President of his fraternity during his junior and senior years. He graduated with a BA in English in 2014. During his senior year, Sam applied to Gallo Winery’s esteemed sales rep academy and out of 5,000 applicants, was one of the 14 selected for this role out of college. He received world class sales training for a year before an opportunity presented itself for Sam to work as an Account Manager at a global digital marketing agency in downtown San Diego. In 2016, Sam moved back home to Tulsa eager to take on a role at Littlefield Agency, which his father, David, started in 1980. Sam has been at Littlefield for almost 9 years—becoming President in 2020 during the pandemic! Sam bought the agency in 2021. His role now is leading the charge on all new business and fostering key client relationships for ongoing accounts while running agency operations day-to-day. Sam has a staff of 24 all-stars…all here in Tulsa. This year, AD AGE, which is a global media industry magazine, named Littlefield as a Best Place to Work—one of the highest national marketing awards you can receive as an agency. Sam was recently elected as the youngest Chairman in MAGNET, which is an international group of over 30 independently owned marketing agencies made up of successful CEOs and Principals throughout the world. Sam met his wife Tara in December of 2016 and they were married in December of 2018 at Christ The King in Tulsa. Tara is a Doctor of Medical Dentistry and she owns and operates Littlefield Dentistry. They have two beautiful children: four-year-old Matthew and two-year-old Veronica.