When it comes to career, Carmen Kaethler always accounts for family.

Kaethler is the lead instructor of the Business, Accounting and Management certificate program at Red River College’s Interlake Campus in Selkirk.

A mother to two young daughters, she also works part-time from home as an accountant for Elite Sports Injury, a network of physiotherapy clinics in Winnipeg.

Kaethler began instructing at RRC in 2017, and now spends about 12 hours a week teaching such courses as Financial Accounting 1 and Introduction to Canadian Business.

“I like the flexibility because it allows me to continue to give real-world experience to the students,” says Kaethler, who’s been a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) since 2013. “I’m still practising in a current local business, so I can give relevant examples to [my students] in class, instead of just talking about my past.”

Kaethler brings approximately 17 years (and counting) of office- and business-related experience to her classrooms.

“I love teaching and I love business, so being able to show that to students — to help them understand accounting, and make them see that it’s not that scary — I find it enjoying and quite rewarding,” she says.

In addition to accounting, Kaethler also has an entrepreneurial side. She’s a local publisher for Macaroni Kid, a website that publishes “hyper-local” e-newsletters and websites promoting products, events, activities and destinations for moms, kids and families.” A Transcona resident, Kaethler focuses on family events in east Winnipeg.

“On the front end, my customer is families in Winnipeg, to whom I offer a free calendar,” she says of the endeavour. “For instance, I’m stopping at the store right now to go buy craft supplies for kids to make crafts with the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who.”

“I also have my marketing on the other side. My business is selling and marketing. I work with local businesses to get their information out in front of my readers.”

Kaethler is also the local license owner for Movies for Mommies, a parent-and-baby film event that takes place every two weeks at SilverCity St. Vital Cinemas.

“That’s a Canadian company that I joined up with, so I can an offer more marketing opportunities to clients I work with,” Kaethler says.

“I do a preshow before Cineplex runs their baby-friendly Thursday movie. I come in and I offer samples from businesses and we do door prizes, and I can usually bring in some sort of craft or vendor that talks with the parents. It’s a marketing business, but it’s also a way for moms to get out and socialize.”

“I’m passionate about having fun things for families to do, and I just worked it around business.”

Kaethler is also very involved with the Girl Guides of Canada, acting as the organization’s provincial treasurer, as well as a Guider of Guide and Pathfinder units.

“I was in Girl Guides, from Brownies all the way up to Rangers, basically from Grade 1 to Grade 12. My oldest daughter is already in it,” Kaethler says.

“It’s very similar to teaching. It’s giving back, but more to the youth. I believe strongly in Girl Guides, and in empowerment for young women and their self-esteem, and making them better citizens, locally and globally.”

Profile by Jared Story (Creative Communications, 2005)