Our Team
Esther Elder
CEO
CEO of Calgary Meals on Wheels with more than 20 years’ experience in the social-profit sector. Esther has held several leadership positions and has a deep understanding of community challenges and opportunities. An energetic, hands-on strategic leader with a passion for building community and effecting social change.
Karen McKeogh
Manager of Charitable Initiatives and Strategic Engagement
Karen started working at Calgary Meals on Wheels in April 2022 in the Philanthropy department and became the Manager in August. She is responsible for guiding a team of four to achieving each year's fundraising goal through events, campaigns, grant applications and funding proposals. Her department provides all external messaging to the community to educate and engage with Calgarians about the work we do.
Christine Hentschel
Community Builder and Development Manager
Christine oversees our involvement in community partnerships that support social connection for our clients, and contributes to our collaborative committees and projects in the sector. Christine is also our data guru and has more than a decade of non-profit experience.
Kelly Gauthier
Facility and Logistics Manager
Kelly began volunteering with Calgary Meals on Wheels in 2019 and became a staff driver in March of 2020. A little over a year later, this Regina-born gentleman began working with us full-time as Operations Manager. When not at Meals on Wheels, Kelly spends time with his wife of 28 years, his two kids and his newly born grandson.
Sandra Nicholas
Controller
Sandy joined Calgary Meals on Wheels in May 2024 and brings over 20 years of experience in financial accounting, project management, auditing, and leadership. As an accomplished and dedicated Senior Accountant, she obtained her CPA in 2016. Having lived in Banff and Canmore for 15 years, Sandy has a deep appreciation for the outdoors and takes every opportunity to return to the mountains.
Karen Forster
Production Manager
As a SAIT graduate in Dietary Service Technology, Karen brings decades of experience in food and nutrition. Prior to joining Calgary Meals on Wheels in 2006, she worked with AHS in positions that utilized her expertise in clinical nutrition, production and retail management. She oversees our production department and has developed and mentored a strong and dedicated team of 18 who are passionate about combating food insecurity. Karen maintains our high-quality menu standards by developing standardized recipes, analyzing detailed nutritional data, and procurement of quality products at competitive pricing. Karen also established all our workflow processes for cook chill/cook freeze meal production, maintaining efficiencies and food-safety protocol in all areas of food service production.
