Élise Desaulniers is a Quebec-based author, consultant and independent researcher whose work explores food ethics, animal rights and organ donation. A former executive director of the Montreal SPCA, she has written several acclaimed books, including Je mange avec ma tête, Vache à lait and Le défi végane 21 jours, which have been translated into multiple languages. In 2019, she co-authored Tables véganes with Patricia Martin; the cookbook features more than 125 recipes and received a gold Taste Canada Award.

Desaulniers publishes articles and essays in media outlets and is an editor at the journal L’Amorce. Her writing examines ethical food choices, veganism, animal agriculture, feminism and the connections between social justice issues. She has also delivered hundreds of talks at universities, colleges, libraries and community events on these subjects, as well as on living organ donation. After anonymously donating a kidney in 2022, she became active in promoting organ donation and serves on the board of the Kidney Foundation of Canada’s Quebec branch and a Canadian Blood Services committee.