Board & Team

Stacey Thomas is one of Australia’s most respected leaders in philanthropy. Her deep knowledge of the sector, together with her personal values of equity and social justice, and a preternatural instinct for collaboration, underpin her leadership at Wyatt.

“The opportunity to lead an organisation with such a long history was very appealing,” Stacey says of her decision to join the team in 2019. “I have strong social justice principles, and with Wyatt focusing on poverty and inequality it was a perfect match.”

While philanthropy is often described as a balancing act between head and heart, Stacey knows that creating lasting impact requires both.

“Working in the sector exposes you to so much you would never have normally had the opportunity to see,” she explains. “Sometimes it is very confronting, and other times it’s incredibly heart-warming; either way it’s an absolute privilege.”

“At Wyatt we aim to generate the highest impact possible for the people who need it most. I’m very fortunate that in my role I get to work across all areas of the organisation,” Stacey says.

“I love listening to the stories of individuals we support, seeing the impact and plans of our organisational partners, working with our Board to increase our impact via our investments. I plan to do even more listening and learning from our partners so that we continue to grow our impact together.”

Stacey previously held roles at the Fay Fuller Foundation, Myer Family Company and Telstra Foundation. She is a Director at Philanthropy Australia and Community Foundations Australia, the country’s peak bodies for philanthropy and community foundations respectively.

With a background in administration and finance, Leanne Crisp has worked across a range of sectors including publishing, engineering and consumer goods, as well as running her own bookkeeping business.

At Wyatt, Leanne takes care of payroll and assists with various finance functions. Working with the team at Wyatt, she says, provides a deep sense of purpose and satisfaction.

“I love the passion and purpose of the people at Wyatt and the way that they care so deeply about helping those less fortunate,” Leanne explains.

“I love knowing that my time and knowledge contribute to keeping the support frameworks of day-to-day operations ticking along for staff, as well as suppliers and grant recipients.”

As Wyatt continues to innovate and re-imagine its work in order to help more South Australians who are experiencing poverty and inequality, Leanne says she is looking forward to playing her part in the organisation’s evolution.

“It warms my heart to be a small part of Wyatt’s future growth and success,” she says.

One of the things Jo Edwards loves most about her role as Relationship Manager is witnessing philanthropy’s catalytic power.

“It’s that alchemy where community interest, a proposal and an injection of resources and connections can create such positive energy,” Jo says.

Before joining the team at Wyatt, Jo dedicated 15 years to working across disability, youth, higher education and health in a range of programs and services.

“Philanthropy was new and a bit foreign to me,” she explains, “but the scope of this role at Wyatt just sang to me and it all felt so right.”

Jo works closely with Wyatt’s non-profit partner organisations to help every South Australian live a life free from poverty and disadvantage.

“As Relationship Manager, I value my daily discussions with partner contacts across South Australia,” she says. “They are solid gold.”

After leaving the corporate world in 2016 to take up roles in the community sector, Wyatt’s Relationship Manager for the Linker Network, Alex Emmerich has never looked back.

Having worked in and studied mental health and psychosocial support services, Alex has not only helped people find, access and connect with the support they need, she also developed initiatives that make service navigation easier.

“I believe everybody deserves to be able to live their best life,” Alex explains. “There’s such a great need in our community and it's extremely rewarding to support people to improve their quality of life, whatever that means to them.

“I have a lot of empathy for anyone who finds themself in situations where they’re facing a lot of challenges and barriers. I have lived experience of being a carer myself, so I know how difficult it can be for carers too.”

The Wyatt Trust’s commitment to respecting lived and living experience, particularly in the context of the Linker Network, was perfectly matched to Alex’s professional skills and personal values.  

“The Wyatt Trust is really walking the talk with the Linker Network,” she says. “It’s a service that is setting a high benchmark in terms of being person-centred and values driven and I’m excited to be joining the team at a time when it’s moving beyond prototyping and service testing into service delivery.”

Angela Meegan’s natural empathy and deep commitment to community service has shaped her career. She has worked across the public, private and non-profit sectors including disability services, project work in Kakadu and Uluru Kata Tjuta National Parks and most recently, as a financial counsellor.

“Working as a financial counsellor, I developed a deep understanding of the extent of disadvantage in our community, with all of the complexities and often related issues such as trauma, mental health, addiction and homelessness,” Angela says.

“I learned that the Wyatt Trust was often there to fund specific needs for clients where other funding was unavailable. The Trust is widely respected and fills a real funding need.”

Angela seized the opportunity to join the Wyatt team, which she says is “passionate about service delivery and better outcomes” in early 2019.

“As Relationship Manager, I enjoy hearing about the back stories of the applications we receive,” Angela explains. “Clients share very personal and real details of their lives and it’s a constant reminder of why we are here and why we do what we do. It is very humbling and grounding, as well as rewarding.”

Throughout his career, Luke Penman’s focus has been squarely on helping others.

Having worked in community radio, the local music industry, and in various roles at Adelaide’s festivals, Luke’s personal commitment to social justice and making a positive difference has underpinned his professional choices. 

“One of the highlights of my career has been seeing how powerful live performance can be in bringing people from all different backgrounds together,” Luke explains.

“While I was at Adelaide Festival, I loved working on the Tix for Next to Nix program, ensuring that customers facing disadvantage could still attend incredible life-changing and life-affirming performances.”

Making an intentional move into philanthropy, Luke’s decision to join the Wyatt team came from a desire to make an even more direct difference in people’s lives.

As Relationship Manager, Luke works in Wyatt’s Direct Grants program to provide targeted support for people experiencing financial hardship.

“Having been raised by a single mum, I learned early on how to recognise when there’s someone in a room who mightn’t feel like they can speak up, but whose voice should be heard,” Luke explains.

“My values are very aligned with those of Wyatt and I love being part of a team whose work, as part of a larger community of organisations, is making life easier for others.

“Everyone here genuinely cares about making people’s lives better and wants to ensure the impact we’re having is as strong as it can possibly be. It’s uplifting to be a part of that.”

Before joining the team at Wyatt, Gavin Reid, a self-described ‘passionate South Australian’, worked in finance and accounting for large corporates for more than three decades.

“I wanted a change in direction from the corporate world where I could use my skills to benefit another sector or organisation,” Gavin explains.

“I love the ‘vibe’ of the philanthropic sector and the fact that you have people who are doing great things to support people in need. I enjoy knowing that our work is making a real difference to people’s lives.”

Joining as Business and Operations Lead, Gavin ensured Wyatt’s business and operational systems including investments, accounting, IT and admin were as effective and efficient as possible. He took particular pride in ensuring the systems “are always improving so they can more effectively support all those who rely on them.”

From 2024, Gavin has moved into a new role supporting Wyatt's Investment Committee to deliver a portfolio that achieves Wyatt's financial, ethical and social impact outcomes.

Nicole Richards has specialised in communications for not-for-profits for more than two decades. Before joining the Wyatt team, she headed up communications for one of Australia’s largest community foundation and was the inaugural Chief Storyteller at peak body Philanthropy Australia.

With philanthropy being uniquely placed to support and spark new approaches to old problems, Nicole is an advocate for ethical storytelling that brings forward the voices of the people closest to the issues that funders aim to address. 

“Sharing the stories of people with lived and living experience has the power to help change the narrative on issues like poverty,” she says. “If we listen, we learn.”

“I love that The Wyatt Trust, despite being one of Australia’s oldest philanthropic organisations, is also one of its boldest in terms of taking action on things like truth telling, catalytic local investments and co-designing programs with the people they are trying to help.”

In her role at Wyatt, Nicole captures and communicates the impact and insights gleaned from the Trust’s work.

“When we share real-world examples of philanthropy’s ability to seed new initiatives and do things differently, we help others see what’s possible and hopefully inspire them to try different approaches too.”

With her sights set on a career in philanthropy and social impact, Mary Shaw’s background in international development and her curiosity about philanthropy drew her to the role of Office Coordinator at Wyatt.

“Philanthropy is a bit of a hidden industry, so when the chance came to work for such a well-established philanthropy organisation in South Australia, I wanted to make the most of it,” Mary says.

Mary’s natural friendliness together with her excellent communication and organisational skills have made her a valuable addition to the Wyatt team.

“My role includes a lot of communication between like-minded individuals from organisations not only in SA, but nationwide and I find it humbling to know that there are a lot of people out there trying their very best to reduce inequality,” Mary explains.

Driven by her values and strongly aligned with the work of Wyatt to reduce poverty and inequality, Mary says the opportunity to “consider the world through a different lens” is one of the privileges of working in the philanthropic sector.

“I have always been really interested in big picture questions such as how we can make positive impact in more efficient and effective ways and how can people invest in social equality in everyday ways. I think it’s an exciting time to be in philanthropy as it’s growing and more individuals, communities and organisations seem to be getting involved in unique and inspiring ways.”

Keren Sutton brings a wealth of valuable experience to Wyatt in her role as Programs and Impact Lead. Beginning her career as a primary school teacher, Keren went on to work for the South Australian State Government in community and industry engagement programs before switching to donor engagement and governance for non-profit groups providing access to healthcare and education for people living in poverty in Uganda.

The alignment between her own personal values and the organisational focus of Wyatt made Keren’s decision to join the team an easy one.

“Wyatt’s focus on making a difference to people in my community who are experiencing poverty and inequality really spoke to my passion for social justice,” she explains.

“The team here works to empower our South Australian community to address poverty compassionately, with clear actions that bring positive change and hope to families and individuals.”

Working with like-minded people across the philanthropic sector to create positive impact is one of the things Keren enjoys most about her role.

“Having the opportunity to influence change and see people-focused approaches developed and actioned is very important to me,” she says. “I’m looking forward to engaging with people across all walks of life, and listening and learning to enable Wyatt to have greater long-term impact on people experiencing poverty.”

As Business and Operations Lead, Susannah Yeon plays a key role in ensuring the smooth functioning of The Wyatt Trust’s day-to-day operations.

Working across finance and IT, as well as overseeing the daily operations of Inparrila, Wyatt’s office and shared coworking premises, Susannah says one of her favourite parts of the role is the chance to work alongside community-minded people.

“I’ve worked across several industries, but my most satisfying role was working at a not-for-profit,” Susannah explains.

“In the private sector I missed working with people who were making a positive impact in the world.

“I love being able to work here at Inparrila which is such a unique meeting space. It really does bring like-minded people together and allows for a cross-pollination of ideas and knowledge sharing which is very powerful.”

Community-mindedness and positive impact are the hallmarks of Sophie Doyle’s career. Even while working for one of the country’s biggest law firms, Sophie’s left a lasting legacy by establishing the company’s SA/NT Foundation, workplace giving and staff volunteering programs. She is also a co-founder of MumKIND, a SA-based charity that supports families experiencing family violence.

During her time at Philanthropy Australia, Sophie managed the peak body’s membership programs in SA and WA, developing strong networks within the non-profit and philanthropic sectors.

“I love that working in philanthropy gives me the ability to get people thinking about giving,” Sophie says. “Everyone can make an impact, but often people don’t know how to start.”

In her role at Foundation SA, South Australia’s state-wide community foundation, Sophie intends to help even more people experience the rewards of giving.

“I can’t wait to share the opportunities our new community foundation creates for donors and the non-profits supporting our community,” she says.

“Inspiring people to think about giving back to their local community and seeing the joy this brings is why I do what I do.”

Chelsea Gillies’ role as Foundation SA’s Grants & Engagement Coordinator brings together two important facets of her life. The first is her desire to create positive social impact, and the second is her love for the place she calls home.

Growing up with a strong sense of social awareness, Chelsea believes giving is one of the most powerful ways of fostering community connections.

“When people are in a position to help others and they put their dollars into projects and groups within our local communities, they’re investing in those communities and forging that connection and ongoing interest.”

Using her extensive experience in building relationships and creating successful project partnerships, Chelsea supports Foundation SA’s current donors with their granting and administers the Foundation’s grant rounds.

“For me to be working for an organisation that’s all about contributing to Adelaide and South Australia is so exciting,” she says. “This job is a real privilege.”