A New Season of Leadership: Welcoming Claudia Keliher as CEO of StreetWise Georgia

This past season has been one of both change and growth for StreetWise Georgia. In January 2026, we mourned the sudden and unexpected passing of our Executive Director, Tracy Joseph, a faithful servant whose humility, courage, and deep love for the people we serve left an enduring mark on this ministry. We continue to honor his memory through the work he championed every single day. 

In the weeks that followed, our Board of Directors worked prayerfully and with great care to ensure the continuity of our programs, the support of our staff and volunteers, and the appointment of Interim Executive Director, Randy Redner, to steady the ship during a tender season of transition. We are profoundly grateful for the community of donors, partners, churches, and volunteers who surrounded us with prayer and encouragement throughout. 

Today, we turn a page with hope as we announce the next chapter of leadership for StreetWise Georgia. 

Introducing Claudia Keliher, Chief Executive Officer 

We are thrilled to welcome Claudia Keliher as the new Chief Executive Officer of StreetWise Georgia. Claudia is not a stranger to this ministry. She served on the StreetWise Georgia Board of Directors before stepping into the CEO role, contributing to fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and event development. She has witnessed firsthand the dignity with which this organization loves its community. She arrives not as an outsider, but as someone already rooted in the mission. 

Claudia brings over 15 years of nonprofit fundraising and ministry leadership to this role. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Ministry Partnerships at Living on the Edge, a national Christian ministry focused on equipping followers of Christ to live out their faith. There, she led a high-performing development team, cultivated major donor relationships, connected givers to ministry impact, and drove consistent year-over-year growth in donations and partner engagement. Prior to that role, she served as Director of Partner Development, managing a major gift portfolio and building the kind of authentic, long-term relationships that sustain mission-driven work. 

Claudia holds a Major Gifts Officer Certification from Veritus Group and has pursued advanced training in major gift fundraising at Azusa Pacific University, credentials that reflect both her commitment to excellence and her calling to resource organizations that make a lasting difference. 

A Mission That Is Personal 

What makes Claudia’s calling to StreetWise Georgia so compelling is not just her professional resume, it is her story. 

That experience never left her. It is why she believes so deeply in the way StreetWise Georgia serves its neighbors, with choice, with respect, and with the conviction that needing help is never something to be ashamed of. 

“When my family immigrated to the United States, we didn’t have much. A small church and a local food pantry stepped in during one of our hardest seasons. They gave us food, but more than that, they gave us dignity. They made us feel like we mattered. Like we belonged. Like our circumstances didn’t define us. I never forgot that.” 

— Claudia Keliher, CEO 

Rooted in Mission, Ready for What’s Next 

StreetWise Georgia was founded in 1988 on a simple but profound conviction: that every person, regardless of circumstance, carries God-given dignity and deserves a hand up, not just a handout. For nearly four decades, this ministry has been a lifeline for over 12,000 families across Gwinnett County and the greater Atlanta region, distributing over 1.9 million pounds of food annually, offering clothing, hygiene supplies, financial literacy classes, job readiness training, and a community of compassionate volunteers who show up faithfully month after month. 

Tracy Joseph’s leadership built on that foundation with integrity and vision. As we honor his legacy, we also look ahead with confidence, trusting that God is faithful and will carry this work forward. 

Claudia’s gifts: connecting people to purpose, building transformational partnerships, and leading with both clarity and compassion, make her exceptionally well-suited for this next chapter. She leads with high emotional intelligence and an unshakable belief that every person, regardless of their circumstances, has a pathway to wholeness. 

A Word from Claudia 

“There are moments in life when your story and your purpose finally meet. For me, this is that moment.” 

“I see a team that shows up every day with love. I see volunteers who give their time because they believe every family deserves a full plate and a fresh start. I see donors who trust that their gifts are doing something real, something lasting. And I see thousands of families who walk through our doors not as charity cases, but as neighbors. As people made in the image of God, worthy of care and worthy of dignity.” 

“I am so excited about what is ahead. New partnerships. Deeper community roots. A growing team. And a vision that I believe God is not finished writing yet.” 

— Claudia Keliher, Chief Executive Officer, StreetWise Georgia 

Join Us in Welcoming Claudia 

Please join us in praying for Claudia as she steps into this role: for wisdom, strength, and a deep sense of calling as she leads StreetWise Georgia into its next season of impact. 

If you would like to connect, partner with StreetWise Georgia through volunteering or donating, or simply learn more about our work, we invite you to visit streetwisegeorgia.org. 

We are grateful. We are hopeful. And we are ready, together.